Three more children have died from Strep A amid the widening outbreak in Britain, official data revealed today.
Figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that around 16 children in England have now died of an infection, up from 13 last week.
Three further child deaths have been recorded in Belfast and Wales, bringing the UK total to 19.
Meanwhile, pharmacists can prescribe alternative antibiotics to tackle the bacteria under severe shortage protocols put in place by the government.
What Are the Symptoms of Strep A? How does it spread? And is it the same as scarlet fever? Everything you need to know about the killer bug sweeping Britain
What is Strep A?
Group A Streptococcus (Group A Strep or Strep A) bacteria can cause many different infections.
The bacteria are commonly found in the throat and on the skin, and some people have no symptoms.
Infections caused by Strep A range from minor illnesses to serious and fatal illnesses.
They include the skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat.
While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, the bacteria sometimes cause an illness called invasive Group A streptococcal disease.
What is Invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease?
Invasive Group A Strep disease is sometimes a life-threatening infection where the bacteria have invaded parts of the body, such as the blood, deep muscles, or lungs.
Two of the most serious but rare forms of invasive disease are necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
Necrotizing fasciitis is also referred to as the “flesh-eating disease” and can occur if a wound becomes infected.
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is a rapidly progressing infection that causes low blood pressure/shock and damage to organs such as the kidneys, liver and lungs.
This type of toxic shock has a high mortality rate.
The move means pharmacies can legally dispense other forms of the drug if they don’t have the specific formulation on the prescription, such as an oral solution.
The protocols, which cover the whole of the UK, are designed to reduce the need for patients to return to their GP for another prescription – speeding up how quickly they can get the essential medicine.
The health ministry, which previously insisted there was no shortage of drugs, said demand for penicillin is rising due to the Strep A outbreak.
It said that ‘the increased demand means some pharmacists are experiencing temporary and local supply problems and the specific formulation may not be on the prescription’.
The British Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said this yesterday five times more penicillin prescriptions are being handed out than three weeks ago.
Some children have been left waiting more than a day for the potentially life-saving drugs.
The move comes after official data released today showed NHS staff are dealing with a massive increase in 111 calls caused by the Strep A panic.
NHS bosses claimed the current surge in winter viruses was also to blame for the ‘massive surge’ in demand for the service.
Strep A death toll among children is higher than expected for this time of year, officials say.
A spike in cases ‘several times higher than pre-pandemic levels’ have been recorded in the UKas well as other parts of Europe.
Strep A bacteria can cause a range of other infections, including impetigo, scarlet fever, and strep throat.
While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, sometimes, in exceptionally rare cases, the bacteria can cause invasive Group A Streptococci (iGAS).
Two of the most serious but rare forms of this invasive disease are necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
Government figures show that iGAS cases are currently four times higher than normal among children aged between one and four in Britain.
It is clear that health officials do not believe that the number of scarlet fever infections has not yet peaked, suggesting more deaths are likely.
From September 12 to December 11, there have been 7,750 cases of scarlet fever.
This compares to a total of 2,538 at the same point in the year during the last comparable high season in 2017 to 2018.
In Wales, a spokesman for Public Health Wales said: ‘Public Health Wales has confirmed that it is investigating the deaths of two children as possible iGAS cases.
“Due to the risk of identification, Public Health Wales will not confirm the number of deaths under five.”
However, the families of seven-year-old Hanna Roap of Penarth, South Wales, and an unnamed child from Powys have confirmed that the cause of death of both children was iGAS.
Commenting on the new protocols, Health Minister Will Quince said: ‘The increased demand for the antibiotics prescribed to treat Strep A has resulted in some pharmacists being unable to supply the prescription drug.
‘With these Serious Shortage Protocols, pharmacists can supply an alternative form of penicillin, which makes things easier for them, patients and GPs.
“We are taking decisive action to address these temporary issues and improve access to these medicines by continuing to work with manufacturers and wholesalers to expedite deliveries, bring forward stock they have to ensure it gets where it is needed.” it is necessary, and stimulate supply to meet demand as quickly as possible.’
NHS England data showed more than 706,000 non-emergency 111 calls were taken last week, 60 per cent more than the 440,000-plus recorded the week before
It was the highest recorded call number apart from two weeks in March 2020, with over 790,000 registered in the week ending March 22 of that year.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of the NHS, said: ‘This massive increase in calls to NHS 111 is understandable with concerns over winter viruses [and] Strep A a top priority for the public.
“But it’s more important than ever for the public to use 911 online whenever possible to get important information about non-emergency health issues and be referred to the best possible care.”
In related news…
A A five-year-old boy who died of Strep A was mistakenly diagnosed with the fluclaims his family
Five times as many penicillin prescriptions are handed out compared to three weeks ago amid the Streep A outbreak, experts say
An expert has blamed it the GP appointment crisis for fueling the UK’s unusually bad Strep A outbreak
From the ‘effervescent’ seven-year-old whose father desperately tried CPR to save, to the four-year-old who loved to explore: Strep A victims so far
Muhammad Ibrahim Ali
The four-year-old boy attended Oakridge School and Nursery in High Wycombe, Bucks.
He died of cardiac arrest at home in mid-November after contracting a Strep A infection.
He was prescribed antibiotics.
His mother Shabana Kousar told the Bucks free press: ‘The loss is great and nothing replaces it.
‘He was very helpful around the house and quite adventurous, he loved to explore and enjoyed forest school, his best day was a Monday and said Monday was the best day of the week.
Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, who attended Oakridge School and Nursery in High Wycombe, Bucks, died after contracting the bacterial infection
Hannah Call
The ‘bubbly’ and ‘beautiful’ seven-year-old is the only child to have died from Strep A in Wales so far.
Her devastated parents told how their “hearts were broken into a thousand pieces.”
The first signs of the infection were mild, Hanna’s father Abul took his daughter to the doctor after the cough got worse overnight.
She was prescribed steroids and sent home, but she died less than 12 hours later.
Mr Roap recalled trying desperately to resuscitate his child: ‘She stopped breathing at 8pm but we didn’t know right away because she was asleep.
“I did CPR, I tried to resuscitate her, but it didn’t work. Paramedics arrived and resumed CPR, but it was too late.”
Mr Roap said the family were ‘totally devastated’ and awaiting answers from the hospital.
The family believes she would have lived had she been given antibiotics initially.
Hanna Roap, who attended Victoria Primary School in Penarth, Wales, died last month after contracting Strep A. Her family say they are “traumatized” by her death
Stella Lily McCorkindale
Five-year-old Stella-Lily McCokindale is the ninth British child to die from a Strep A infection, and the first in Northern Ireland.
She died on December 5 at Royal Belfast Hospital.
In a social media tribute, her father Robert said the pair “loved every minute” they spent together on scooter and bike rides.
“If prayers, thoughts, feelings and love could have worked, she would have walked out of the hospital holding her father’s hand,” he said.
Stella attended Black Mountain Primary School, who said she was “a smart and talented little girl” and described her death as a “tragic loss.”
Five-year-old Stella-Lily McCokindale who attended Black Mountain Primary School in Belfast died in early December after contracting Strep A
Jax Albert Jeffreys
A five-year-old boy who died of Strep A was mistakenly diagnosed with the flu, his family claims.
Jax Albert Jefferys, of Waterlooville, Hampshire, died on Thursday, December 1, becoming one of 16 British children to have died from the usually mild bug so far this winter.
His grieving mother Charlene shared today how she had sought medical advice three times in the four days leading up to Jax’s death and was told he was suffering from flu A. She described Jax as a “cheeky little guy.”
But later tests revealed he actually had stage A, she said, which is quickly spreading across Britain.
Jax Albert Jefferys, a five-year-old from Waterlooville, Hampshire, died of Strep A on Thursday, December 1