Health anxiety over strep a news stories

[behappy1736]

I have quite bad health anxiety that I'm getting therapy for.
I've been doing well but it's really triggered me reading and hearing the stories of the deaths due to strep a in the news in children. I'm really anxious about it and I'm trying to rationalise but finding it hard to not go down that cycle of anxiety.

It's nothing to worry about. It's around every year (my SIL got it 30 years ago)

Most people have mild symptoms and get better with no treatment. Some may need antibiotics.

Please try not to worry 😘

I'm the exact same. My house hold has been full of germs this last 3 or so week - thankfully clearing up (fingers crossed!!) .. just me to go with a sore throat and niggly cough! I have health anxiety, and I generally stay away from news and social media anyway - minus mumsnet, but it's full of strep talk at the moment though. 🙃
I've had to take myself off the last two days and do things I find therapeutic, drawing mainly. Window art/snow art.
Keep that mind occupied with doing things you love or relaxes you when you can feel the anxiety trigger button kicking in. You're not alone - many of us are feeling this way x

I’m just the same. Really struggling with it. It’s crazy as my son used to get bacterial tonsillitis all the time and I never worried, but the current news and media has me living in fear that one of my kids are going to tell me they feel poorly.
You aren’t alone with it 😘

i’m the same, i can’t cope with it. my daughter has an earache so now my stomach is in bits with anxiety. i want to enjoy christmas but i’m petrified every second of every day :( i just want to cry

@charlotte2703
I don’t know how old your daughter is but chances are, if she’s not a baby, she’s come in contact with strep before. You will have had it, I’m sure.
If she gets a temperature and has symptoms then get antibiotics (I know that in itself is a worry).
I know it’s impossible for us not to worry about it. We have friend’s kids coming Christmas Day who are constantly poorly and I’m so anxious they will bring strep into the house.

An article came out a couple of days ago from the UK Health Security Agency saying that the flu nasal spray helps reduce Strep A cases in children.
The article is on a Gov.UK site.
So take some comfort from that if yours has had it.

That’s good to know as people on social media were saying the opposite- that it was in the small print that it can cause it.

My son had repeated bacterial tonsillitis when he was younger (so, strep) and I eventually got on top of it by switching to fluoride free toothpaste and giving a daily, chewable probiotic. The man in the health/supplement shop was very knowledgable and suggested the excess fluoride was killing his good bacteria in his mouth, allowing strep to flourish. I have carried this on with both of my children. Something I’d recommend if you are worried!

I think the best thing to do when you feel overwhelmed, is to stay away from newspapers and the TV news. I don’t have health anxiety but find much of the news very depressing so I often stay away from it for a couple of months at a time. It’s made a huge difference to me this year as the media love to sensationalise everything.

it’s awful isn’t it, she had pneumonia a few weeks ago when a few in her class had scarlet fever, and apparently strep can cause pneumonia but there’s no way to test afterwards. i just hope she has some immunity. she’s 4y 9 months.

know what you mean about christmas - i want to have a normal christmas but i’ve been really worried about mixing 😏