Strep A: Doctor urges parents to watch out for symptoms

A doctor has warned of symptoms for parents to look out for following the death of Hanna Roap.

The seven-year-old, from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan is one of eight children in the UK to have died with an invasive form of the Strep A bacterial infection in recent months.

Dr Rowena Christmas, of the Wye Valley Practice and chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs in Wales, said children would typically develop a sore throat and fever followed by a blotchy red rash.

She added: “What we’re much more concerned about is if the fever persists or is very high, or if the children aren’t eating or drinking so well, or particularly if they seem to be breathing more quickly or if they are lethargic.”