Five deaths in Scotland over festive period linked to Strep A

Five deaths in Scotland between Christmas and new year have been linked to the Strep A infection, according to the latest figures.

Public Health Scotland said it was aware of 12 deaths among invasive group A streptococcal infections (iGAS) between 3 October 2022 and 1 January.

That is an increase of five from last week's total, which covered the period up to Christmas Day.

Those figures included two children under the age of 10.

But the new data from PHS showed no further deaths among children had been reported.

• Strep A: At least 30 children have died in UK since mid-September

• Deaths of two children with Strep A 'not unusual'

• Surge in Strep A cases reported across Scotland

Strep A cases are usually mild, causing illness ranging from a sore throat to scarlet fever, but on rare occasions can develop into an iGAS infection.

Early symptoms of an iGAS infection include a high temperature, severe muscle aches and localised muscle tenderness, as well as possible redness at the site of a wound.

The health body's latest report, published on Wednesday, stated: "PHS is aware of 12 deaths amongst iGAS cases that appear to meet the case definition between October 3 and January 1 2023, an increase of five deaths since the previous report.

"Two of these deaths were in children under 10 years of age, no change since the previous report."

Last week Scotland's national clinical director told BBC Scotland the deaths of two children were tragic but the number was "not unusual for this time of year".

Prof Jason Leitch also said the country was experiencing the highest number of Strep A infections since 2017.

But he added it was a very mild disease in the "extreme majority" of children and the elderly.

According to the latest information, 13 of the country's 14 NHS boards had reported iGAS cases between October last year and 1 January this year.

• What is strep A and what are the symptoms?

In the week ending 1 January, a total of 14 iGAS cases were reported across all age groups - with this down from 20 the previous week.

Five of the latest cases involved children under the age of 10, meaning that since the start of October there have been 25 cases in this age group.

Last week UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data showed 122 people have died in England from the invasive form of the bacterial infection.

Of these 20 were children younger than 10.

The UKHSA has said a rise in Strep A cases this year is most likely due to high amounts of the bacteria circulating and increased social mixing.

PHS said in the week ending 1 January there were 548 cases of Group A Streptococcus (GAS).

This is down from 995 in the previous week, but compares with 300 and 480 reports a week that were observed at infection peaks since 2016.

But PHS said the rise could be due to increased testing.

In its latest report, the health body said: "Increased numbers of GAS cases reported following recent communication with the public and the NHS may be a consequence of both increased ascertainment of cases due to increased testing in the community as well as actual increases in circulation of infections."

When to seek medical advice

Parents are being urged to look out for symptoms and to promptly contact their GP or NHS24 if they have any concerns.

UKHSA advises people to call 999 or go to A&E if:

• your child is having difficulty breathing - you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs

• there are pauses when your child breathes

• your child's skin, tongue or lips are blue

• your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake

What is Strep A?

• Group A streptococcal (GAS) infection is caused by strains of the streptococcus pyogenes bacterium

• The bacteria can live on hands or the throat for long enough to allow easy spread between people through sneezing, kissing and skin contact

• Most infections cause mild illnesses such as "strep throat" or skin infections

• It can also cause scarlet fever and in the majority of cases this clears up with antibiotics

• On rare occasions the bacteria can get deeper into the body - including infecting the lungs and bloodstream. It is known as invasive GAS (iGAS) and needs urgent treatment as this can be serious and life-threatening

You can read more about Strep A here.