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Doctors have raised the alarm about the NHS’s ability to cope with rising rates of strep A, after reports that a 12-year-old London schoolboy has become the latest child to die after contracting a rare, aggressive form of the infection.
On Sunday, Cabinet Minister Nadeem Zahavi urged parents to be vigilant for signs of streptococcus A, even though most cases are mild.
“It’s really important to be vigilant because in very rare circumstances it becomes serious, then it needs immediate treatment,” he told Sky News’ Sophie Ridge on Sunday.
It was reported on Saturday that a 12-year-old Year 8 student at a south London school had died after developing the infection, bringing the total number of deaths to seven.
On Friday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that six children under the age of 10 have died from strep A infections since September, as it issued a rare warning in response to a rise in cases across the country.
Medical professionals have expressed concern about how frontline NHS services will cope with the potential influx of concerned parents and the difficulties of spotting serious cases from minor symptoms.
Nina Modi, professor of neonatal medicine at Imperial College London, said both GP services and A&E were “on their knees”.
“The last thing we want is for A&E departments to be inundated with a new influx of worried parents,” she said.
She also said the NHS 111 service was ineffective when dealing with sick children.
“These algorithms have repeatedly been shown not to be sensitive enough to distinguish a severely ill child from one with milder symptoms,” she said. “So NHS 111 is not really fit for purpose for young children.”
Oxford GP, Dr. Helen Salisbury said it was inevitable that the number of parents bringing their children to GPs would increase as a result of strep A concerns, and that there were challenges for GPs to identify which children might progress. Develop invasive infections.
“From a parent’s point of view, it must be really scary. How do you know if this sore is just normal or garden sore, or is this a prelude to something really serious? And I think it’s hard for parents and to some extent for GPs as well,” she said.
“Even if you have all the time in the world and you’re not pressed or rushed, it’s hard to tell which child is going to get sick.”
Salisbury also stressed that parents should be able to return to their GP if a child’s condition worsens, but this can be difficult in overcrowded areas.
“I know there are places where they’re really short of GPs and it’s really hard to get an appointment,” she said.
“We’re long-term under-doctors in general practice, and when something drastic comes out in the news like this, it really makes that clear.”
Children confirmed dead after contracting a rare aggressive form of the infection include four-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, from Buckinghamshire, who died in an ambulance while being taken to hospital.
His mother, Shabana Kausar, told Sky News that her son first developed a red rash on his lower back, which was helped by a course of antibiotics, but two weeks later his condition worsened and he developed stomach pains. After his death, an autopsy revealed that he had Strep A in his blood.
“I believe parents should be aware of the symptoms and act on it if their child is experiencing something similar,” she said.
Four-year-old Camilla Rose Burns has been on a ventilator at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool since Monday after contracting strep A.
Strep A bacteria can cause many health problems, most of which are mild. These may include scarlet fever and, very rarely, invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS).
Recent data from the UKHSA shows that rates of scarlet fever and iGAS are two to three times higher than the same time period before the pandemic, and cases are occurring earlier in the year.
There were 851 cases of scarlet fever in the week of November 14-20, compared to an average of 186 for the same period in previous years.
The UKHSA said there was no evidence of new strains of Strep A circulating and that the increase was largely due to increased circulating bacteria and social mixing.
NHS England was contacted for comment on concerns about the ability of NHS services to cope with increased pressure, and referred the Guardian to the UKHSA, which said it did not comment on NHS workforce issues, and the Department for Health and Social Care, which did not. . Still answered.
Modi said that it is not yet clear whether the current situation is unusual. “It’s too early to say whether this is outside of the normal fluctuations that you see over many years, or whether it’s within it,” she said.
Salisbury said parents should look for symptoms that may indicate an invasive infection is developing, such as persistent fever, lethargy or floppiness, not eating or drinking as usual and lack of urination.
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