UKHSA, in a statement yesterday, said there had been an increase in cases outside the seasonal norms in both scarlet fever and the disease known as Strep A, with 33,836 occurring between 19 September and 25 December. cases of scarlet fever. Underlining a sharp increase in scarlet fever cases, authorities stressed that deaths due to strep A have reached 122 in total this year.
Although most cases are relatively mild, sometimes strep throat can cause a life-threatening invasive group A strep infection (iGAS) when it breaches the body’s defenses and infects areas where it is not normally found, such as the blood and lungs. Experts have pointed out that the first symptoms of Strep A are high fever, swollen glands in the throat, sore throat, skin rashes and body aches.
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TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTICS
UKHSA case manager Dr Obaghe Edeghere said: ‘We continue to see an increase in scarlet fever and strep throat and this is understandably worrying for parents. However, I would like to point out that the condition is easily treated with antibiotics and it is very rare for a child to become more seriously ill.”
