A mum of two children with Strep A has urged others to be aware of the signs following the death of nine children in the UK.
Aimee Byron, 22, said her three-year-old son Jamie Jones became tired and started screaming in pain while holding his head.
The toddler said he had "tickles in his throat" which was covered in white big spots and doctors told Aimee he was suffering from tonsillitis, she said.
But after a few days of suffering, she took him back to the GP where he was diagnosed with Strep A and taken to hospital for treatment.
Jamie had a sore throat, large glands, was drowsy and holding his ears, couldn’t swallow drinks and wasn’t passing urine.
But just a day after he returned home, his little brother Drew, 17 months, was diagnosed with the same bacterial infection, after catching it from Jamie.
With both boys at home poorly but recovering, Aimee and salesman Will Jones, 24, feel lucky they trusted her instincts and didn't believe it was just tonsillitis.
Aimee from Fareham, Hampshire, said: "It made me feel so helpless because you feel like screaming at the doctor.
"I know they have done years and years in studying but I know my child.
"It was so refreshing to hear the doctor say they weren't going to question me on my child."
Another mum in Llandudno, Wales, is also warning parents to watch out for symptoms after both her daughters fell ill with Strep A.
Joanne Jones is worried it is only a matter of time before her six-year-old son Louie catches the bug after his sisters Jasmine, eight, and Ophelia, three, were diagnosed.
The mum thought Jasmine had a chest infection when she began coughing, which later turned into a sickness bug but after four days of hardly eating, she took her to A&E.
“She would go bright red, and it felt like I was holding a hot water bottle from the heat coming off her face, back, and chest," Joanne told North Wales Live.
"Then she got more and more drowsy nearing the end of the week, to the point she just couldn’t stop coughing.
“She was leaning into me, falling asleep on the street. Then I noticed she had a rash like a strawberry on her tongue, and a rash came out on her cheeks, but it can also be on children’s chest and back.
"I took her into A&E at 2am, waiting nine and a half hours to see someone before he said ‘I don’t want to alarm you with what’s in the media but she’s got scarlet fever, which comes from a bacterial infection called Strep A’.
Downing Street has warned parents to be on the lookout for Strep A infection.
Nine children have died with the condition since September, prompting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to issue a rare alert on Friday.
A senior health official said the early start to the season in the UK could be due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jamie's mum Aimee said she feels "so unbelievably lucky" to have her son at home getting better "when this story could have had such a devastating end."
On November 29, the toddler woke up feeling drowsy and restless but Aimee thought it was down to him having a late night.
Later that day, he was screaming in pain holding his head.
Stay-at-home mum Aimee saw his tonsil were "nearly touching" and that the back of his throat was covered in white big spots and small red pinpricks.
After a restless night, she called the doctors.
The family received a phone consultation and after sending over pictures the doctor diagnoses Jamie with tonsillitis and told Aimee to monitor how much he was drinking and weeing.
Aimee said: " I had looked at photos online of Strep Throat and what Jamie had looked exactly the same. I questioned that and he didn’t really make a comment.
"We got antibiotics and started them straight away.
"Jamie went for a wee Wednesday afternoon and didn’t go again until Friday morning and when he went it was the tiniest amount.
"On Thursday evening, I thought 'I'm not having this' and I got told I can either have a phone appointment within hours or take him to the hospital."
Aimee took Jamie to hospital where she asked if it could be Strep Throat, because his symptoms were "identical" to photos online.
Again, she was told to wait five days and call the GP if Jamie's condition had worsened or not improved, she claims.
Unsatisfied, Aimee took him to a GP.
She said: "After seeing how poorly he was, the state of his throat and that he had such poor urine output she called the Paediatric Department at the Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth.
"She noticed that all down the back of his throat was covered in tiny ulcers and she said it was the worst throat in a child she had ever seen."
Aimee said the doctors and nurses at Queen Alexandra were "really helpful".
The tot was in the hospital for around five hours, he had a swab taken from the back of his throat, was given Difflam spray and was closely monitored with doctors confirming Jamie had Strep A.
Then little Drew started to feel "unsettled" on December 3 when Aimee noticed spots around his mouth.
His symptoms were a sore throat, red spots around his mouth and white puffy spots on his tonsils.
Aimee had a telephone consultation for Drew the day after his brother came out of hospital. He was diagnosed with Strep A and scarlet fever and given antibiotics.
Aimee added: "Jamie has turned a corner over the last few days. Just be aware this horrible infection spreads so fast. Both of my little boys now have Strep A.
"My eldest, Jamie, is doing so much better. We just now need to hope my youngest follows that and starts feeling better soon."
