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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Strep A in school

145 replies

EUwannabe · 08/12/2022 15:30

So- I’m not on either side of the fence on this at all but would love to know what others would do. AIBU to keep my primary child off school now a Step A case has been confirmed in the school? X

OP posts:
EasterIssland · 08/12/2022 20:01

the class next to my sons has got strep a and scarlet fever. He continues going in and so do the rest of kids. Unless your child is immuno then keeping them off now because there is a bacteria that could kill them .. then you’re quite likely going to keep them in as there is a risk that a car could kill them as well when crossing the road

Wombatbum · 08/12/2022 20:12

Apparently a case in our school (WhatsApp parents group - parent said their child had it - apparently not swabbed as doctor could confirm without?). No word from school about it though?

SD1978 · 08/12/2022 20:20

Strep is the new covid.......another media scare which if you do a wee bit of research on you'll find the media are conflating the risk and causing mass hysteria for their own benefits

TERRRYsnotmine · 08/12/2022 20:24

MN need to have a think about these types of threads I discussed this issue with a medical colleague last week..
The media and forums are blowing it up massively and scaring people.

Ansumpasty · 08/12/2022 20:25

What I’m struggling to understand is why we (as in UK) have suddenly gone from having tonsillitis, to strep.
My son was prone to bacterial tonsillitis and got it regularly. He always needed antibiotics to clear it up. Close family didn’t catch it- I never did. That was obviously strep, but everyone here has always called it tonsillitis.

Why have things changed? Are children skipping the tonsillitis and getting scarlet fever without the throat symptoms first?

Mamansparkles · 08/12/2022 20:35

The UK media is pushing a narrative that it's all because of lockdown and immunity deficit - which might be a reason for high levels of bugs (more people who havent had it before to both be infected and pass it on). What they aren't saying but scientists are is eat covid itself has a part to play in this. We know that strep is often most dangerous and likely to turn to iGAS after certain viral infections that make the body susceptible. We have as a country let everyone catch covid, especially in schools. It would be very possible, if not likely based on what we are seeing and what we know of the way covid works as a disease, that covid is one of those viruses that causes susceptibility to iGAS.

User963 · 08/12/2022 20:36

Ansumpasty · 08/12/2022 20:25

What I’m struggling to understand is why we (as in UK) have suddenly gone from having tonsillitis, to strep.
My son was prone to bacterial tonsillitis and got it regularly. He always needed antibiotics to clear it up. Close family didn’t catch it- I never did. That was obviously strep, but everyone here has always called it tonsillitis.

Why have things changed? Are children skipping the tonsillitis and getting scarlet fever without the throat symptoms first?

I think in the US they’ve always called tonsillitis strep throat? When DS had scarlet fever when he was 5 he had no obvious sign of a sore throat but I’m not sure how common that is.

rosemarysalter · 08/12/2022 20:40

No, it's not another pandemic

We need to build back our kids immunity

saraclara · 08/12/2022 20:47

Tonsillitis simply means 'inflamation of the tonsils'. It's not really a diagnosis, it's a description of the symptom.

We have gravitated to actually using the name of the cause of the infection, rather than naming the symptom. In the past, Covid would just have been 'a chect infection' for instance.

In general, accuracy is a good thing. And knowing the cause of the symptoms is important to the medical professions, and probably more helpful for us, too.

spidereggs · 08/12/2022 20:50

Hmm.

My dad has it now. And is off, and her baby sister is on prevention antibiotics

She also had it as covid broke, and her sister had it march this year.

I couldn't get penicillin anywhere last night (rural Scotland) but with some help from friends got it today, albeit a long drive.

She has it because a mother sent her child in with it to the small nursery, Friday. She had been given antibiotics Thursday, which she disclosed Friday evening on social media.

So, I suppose, my answer would be, any signs of fever, throat, sickness, go to doctor.

Dd unlikely to be back before Xmas and yet again will miss so much.

But the sad reality is unless your school has allowed an extremely unwell child in, hence my row with them, on antibiotics, day one, then the exposure will have happened and keeping them home now won't help much.

spidereggs · 08/12/2022 20:50

FFS, DD, not dad

EasterIssland · 08/12/2022 20:51

Ansumpasty · 08/12/2022 20:25

What I’m struggling to understand is why we (as in UK) have suddenly gone from having tonsillitis, to strep.
My son was prone to bacterial tonsillitis and got it regularly. He always needed antibiotics to clear it up. Close family didn’t catch it- I never did. That was obviously strep, but everyone here has always called it tonsillitis.

Why have things changed? Are children skipping the tonsillitis and getting scarlet fever without the throat symptoms first?

I saw today in Spain there are 2 deaths as well so not only uk thing

EasterIssland · 08/12/2022 20:54

spidereggs · 08/12/2022 20:50

Hmm.

My dad has it now. And is off, and her baby sister is on prevention antibiotics

She also had it as covid broke, and her sister had it march this year.

I couldn't get penicillin anywhere last night (rural Scotland) but with some help from friends got it today, albeit a long drive.

She has it because a mother sent her child in with it to the small nursery, Friday. She had been given antibiotics Thursday, which she disclosed Friday evening on social media.

So, I suppose, my answer would be, any signs of fever, throat, sickness, go to doctor.

Dd unlikely to be back before Xmas and yet again will miss so much.

But the sad reality is unless your school has allowed an extremely unwell child in, hence my row with them, on antibiotics, day one, then the exposure will have happened and keeping them home now won't help much.

Once you are given antibiotics you’re not any more contagious after it so it’s not the fault of those parents. They were doing what was advised. If you want t to keep yours indoors then that’s fine but that’s not what it’s recommended. Once given your doses of antibiotics then you “kill” the spread

ILoveeCakes · 08/12/2022 20:57

rosemarysalter · 08/12/2022 20:40

No, it's not another pandemic

We need to build back our kids immunity

Build Back Better!

Bewitched005 · 08/12/2022 21:37

EasterIssland · 08/12/2022 20:01

the class next to my sons has got strep a and scarlet fever. He continues going in and so do the rest of kids. Unless your child is immuno then keeping them off now because there is a bacteria that could kill them .. then you’re quite likely going to keep them in as there is a risk that a car could kill them as well when crossing the road

The chances of a child being killed by a car are only likely for unaccompanied children. Most children are accompanied by an adult, who can see cars coming. No-one can see bacteria which may attack your child. With 15 children dead now, it's not surprising that parents are worrying.
I don't have children of school age, but I do have grandchildren, and I hope their parents would keep them at home.

70billionthnamechange · 08/12/2022 21:43

I have to admit that I'm slightly concerned about this. But it also got me wondering that if Covid hadn't been a thing, would the media have reported on this? Seems like a new thing to have the daily statistics published since. We probably would have been non the wiser that a few extra died of this. Not minimising those deaths at all, it's horrific but just wondering if they would have been reported pre Covid. No one can answer for me, just thinking out loud

Beebz · 08/12/2022 21:45

I think parents should at least be given the choice, particularly when everyone knows little real learning is done the last week before Christmas. It is such a horrendous situation to be put in, particularly when you have disabled family members. I'm just hoping it will magically go away over Christmas, or maybe schools being closed will reduce the outbreak. My thinking is for so many deaths this quickly the cases must be astronomically high, and we won't know as for some reason this country doesn't routinely swab for strep.

saraclara · 08/12/2022 21:48

Bewitched005 · 08/12/2022 21:37

The chances of a child being killed by a car are only likely for unaccompanied children. Most children are accompanied by an adult, who can see cars coming. No-one can see bacteria which may attack your child. With 15 children dead now, it's not surprising that parents are worrying.
I don't have children of school age, but I do have grandchildren, and I hope their parents would keep them at home.

Show quote history

I have grandchildren too. The chances of them getting iGAS is thankfully, minuscule. My granddaughter has suffered enough in her social development etc, thanks to Covid. Shutting her away at home again for months would be cruel and absolutely unnecessary.

massivecringe · 08/12/2022 21:55

Feel like keeping ds home. It's interesting a pp mentioning Covid infections and immunity being shot due to it? My ds has had Covid twice this year. I have a new baby at home too, am already on medication for bad anxiety and ocd and this shit isn't helping. 15 children have died now, how can parents not worry.

LargeglassofRosePlease · 08/12/2022 22:00

My 11 year old currently has it and has been really unwell.
Youngest is 7 and at primary school still and whilst she hasn’t had it , she has felt unwell so I have kept her off school currently.
To me it makes sense; lots of vulnerable adults and children in school, and what with it being so close to breaking up for Christmas and she may well be incubating it. Then again she may not but that what I am doing- especially as my son is so poorly with it.

EasterIssland · 08/12/2022 22:20

Bewitched005 · 08/12/2022 21:37

The chances of a child being killed by a car are only likely for unaccompanied children. Most children are accompanied by an adult, who can see cars coming. No-one can see bacteria which may attack your child. With 15 children dead now, it's not surprising that parents are worrying.
I don't have children of school age, but I do have grandchildren, and I hope their parents would keep them at home.

Show quote history

Change it to car accident which you can’t so much prevent it

Starrystarrylights · 08/12/2022 22:43

That's not even vaguely true.

BooksAreSaferThanPeople · 08/12/2022 22:45

Do you always need antibiotics for a strep infection?

I'm asking because DD had an awful sore throat last week, didn't eat for two days, tonsils were swollen, but other than that she was fine in herself so I assumed it was viral, but now I'm wondering.

EasterIssland · 08/12/2022 22:45

From bbc

The UKHSA says the last time there was a significant number of cases was in the 2017/18 season, when there were 27 deaths in children under 18 and 328 adult deaths in England.

don’t remember this amount of media and worry few years ago

paintitallover · 08/12/2022 22:47

@EasterIssland that's very interesting.