Dr Hilary Jones has explained the "red flag" symptoms of Strep A infection for parents to look out for during an appearance on Good Morning Britain. He stressed that an invasive form of the Strep A bacteria, which is believed to have now caused the deaths of eight children since September, is "a rare disease" but there are signs to keep in mind.
Illnesses caused by the Group A strep bacteria include skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever and strep throat. There has been a big leap in the number of scarlet fever cases across the UK, with 851 cases reported from November 14 to 20 - compared to an average of 186 for the same period in previous years.
Strep A infections are usually mild and can be easily treated with antibiotics. But they can develop into a more serious invasive Group A Strep (iGAS) infection. Health officials have noticed an increase in iGAS cases this year, particularly in children under 10.
READ MORE: Health bosses issue update as another UK child dies of Strep A
However, on GMB today (December 6), Dr Hilary stressed to ITV viewers that a deadly infection is still very rare. He said: "Right now, every parent will know children at their children's school who have got runny noses, sore throats, swollen glands, rashes - it's very, very common to have those symptoms.
"When you read in the papers about invasive Strep A, we're talking about a rare disease that, whilst it has killed eight children this season, we always see these kind of complications every year.
"We saw four deaths in 2017, fewer during the pandemic years, eight this year - partly because immunity has gone down - so it's very, very unusual to see such serious illnesses. We're talking about a rate of 2.3 per 100,000 children, so it is rare."
However, he added that parents will still be worried about their children and want to know when they should take them to see a doctor or what they should do if they show possible Strep A symptoms. Dr Hilary said there are some key signs to look out for in five to 15 year old children.
He began: "I think the best advice I can give is to be vigilant and look out for the red flag symptoms, which are severe throat with exudations - white spots on the tonsils on the back of the throat." Co-host Susanna Reid then interjected: "Can you see that, as a parent?"
Dr Hilary replied: "Yes, if you ask the child to open their mouth wide and say 'aaaah', maybe use the end of a spoon to depress the tongue slightly - which can cause a gag reflex so you've got to be careful - you can see that white exudate on the tonsils at the back of the throat."
Listing other key symptoms, Dr Hilary continued: "Look for large (swollen) glands in the front of the neck. A fever is always going to occur with Strep A infection.
"And, sometimes, this rash - the scarlet fever rash - which is small, red bumps which feel like sandpaper. And on brown and dark skin, you would just feel that sandpapery feeling, you won't see the redness."
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