Dr Hilary Jones has told Good Morning Britain viewers which Strep A signs to look out for in their children.
His warning, issued on Tuesday morning on the ITV show, came after the death of eight children in the UK from Strep A. The health expert was discussing the outbreak with hosts Robert Rinder and Susanna Reid and said: "Invasive Strep A is a rare disease.
"While it's killed eight children it's very very unusual to see such serious illnesses - we're talking of a rate of 2.3 in 100,000 children. However, it doesn't make it any easier for a parent who is worrying about their children.
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"'When is a sore throat significant, when should I go and see a doctor?' Especially when it's so difficult to see a doctor, you know, what should they do?
"I think the best advice I can give is to be vigilant. Look out for the red flag symptoms which are severe sore throat, white spots on the back of the tonsils and back of the throat."
He further added: "You can see that. If you open your child's mouth open, you can catch the white on the tonsils at the back of the throat. Look for large glands in the neck, a fever is always going to occur and sometimes there is a rash - a scarlet fever rash, small.
"A fever is always going to occur with a Strep A infection and sometimes this rash, which is small red bumps that feel like sandpaper."
He then told viewers: "If you can't get a GP appointment, if 111 can't phone you back within a few hours and you're worried then you only have one alternative and that's to go to A&E."
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