A total of 151 people have died after contracting Strep A in England so far this winter, according to new figures. These include 29 children under 18.
It compares with a total of 355 deaths across the whole season in the last comparable year which was in 2017-2018. Of this there were a total of 27 deaths in under 18s. However the total figure for the UK as a whole will be higher as the Agency only covers England and it is known there have been deaths of children in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows scarlet fever and group A strep (GAS) infections "remain high". Its figures show there have already been more notifications of scarlet fever than across the whole of the last comparably high season.
So far this season (from September 19 to January 1) there have been 35,616 notifications of scarlet fever. This compares to a total of 4,192 at the same point in the year during 2017-2018 – although cases in that season started to rise at a different point. In 2017 to 2018 there were 30,768 scarlet fever notifications overall across the year.
Invasive group A strep (iGAS) infections remain rare but are currently higher than usually seen in a typical year. So far this season, there have been 159 iGAS cases in children aged one to four compared to 194 cases in that age group across the whole year of the 2017-2018 season.
There have been 118 cases in children aged five to nine compared to 117 in the whole 2017-2018 season. Most of the iGAS cases are in those aged over 45.
The high numbers of cases for both scarlet fever and Strep A infections are unusually early with the season usually running from February to April.
Strep A is a bacterial infection which can cause a range of infections including scarlet fever, strep throat and skin conditions including impetigo. While most of the infections are mild, in very rare occasions the bacteria causing scarlet fever, group A Streptococcus (GAS) can get into the bloodstream and cause an illness called invasive group A Strep (iGAS). This can be very serious, particularly in older, younger and more vulnerable groups.
Dr Obaghe Edeghere, UKHSA incident director, said: "As children return to school, scarlet fever and ‘strep throat’ continue to circulate at high levels and so it is important that we all wash our hands regularly and thoroughly and catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue. This will help stop germs spreading between children and to other vulnerable groups and will help prevent the spread of other winter illnesses that are currently circulating at high levels, including flu and COVID-19.
"It’s not too late to take up the free flu and COVID-19 vaccines if you’re eligible – we know that group A strep infections can be more serious when combined with another infection like flu. Most winter illnesses can be managed at home and NHS.UK has information to help parents look after children with mild illness.
"Deaths and serious illness following group A strep infection are very rare and the infection can be easily treated with antibiotics. Speak to a healthcare professional if you think your child is getting worse, for instance they are feeding or eating less than normal, are dehydrated, have a high temperature that won’t go down, are very hot and sweaty or seem more tired or irritable than normal."
