Warning for parents after Strep A kills six children in past month

It is understood that authorities have given teachers and other pupils at the schools where the child contracted the infection strong preventative antibiotics.

Last night Hannah’s parents said their daughter might have survived if her GP had not prescribed steroids instead of antibiotics.

“She was not given the right medicine, if they had given her antibiotics it could have been a different story,” said her father, 37-year-old Abul Roap.

GPs have been instructed to limit antibiotic prescribing as part of an NHS initiative to try to combat the rise of superbugs – bacteria that are resistant to drugs.

Doctors’ union the BMA also resisted moves earlier this year to allow pharmacists to sell antibiotics over the counter, saying the drugs were a “valuable resource” and should only be dispensed “when absolutely necessary”.

The UKHSA encouraged parents to wash their hands properly with soap for 20 seconds, use tissues to cover coughs and sneezes and stay away from others when they feel unwell.

Parents are urged to contact 111 or a GP if their child’s appetite changes significantly, if they have a fever or dry diapers for more than 12 hours. They should call 999 or visit an emergency center if their child has trouble breathing, their skin or lips turn blue, or if they are limp or unable to stay awake.

Dr Colin Brown, deputy director of the UKHSA, said the number of strep A cases was higher than usual this year and that it was usually a mild infection easily treated with antibiotics.

He also encouraged parents to look out for the signs of strep A – a sore throat that gets worse over time, headache, fever and a red rash that’s rough to the touch – and to see a doctor “as soon as possible” to stop the infection from getting worse.

“Make sure you talk to a health care provider if your child shows signs of getting worse after a bout of scarlet fever, sore throat, or a respiratory infection,” said Dr. Brown.

Most sore throats and colds are viral infections, with an estimated 40 percent of antibiotic prescriptions being for viruses against which pills are completely ineffective.

However, GPs currently do not have access to any tests that can tell them quickly, cheaply and accurately whether a patient has a viral or bacterial infection.

Jim O’Neil, 2016 Basis Economist antimicrobial resistance screeningdescribed the situation as “slightly crazy”.

In the last high season of invasive group A influenza infection, in 2017/18, there were four deaths in children under the age of 10.

The UKHSA said there was no evidence a new strain was circulating, with the increase “most likely related to high levels of circulating bacteria and social mixing”.