UK: Six children die of Strep A, a common bacterial infection

Subject: Science and Technology

Context-

At least six children have died of a common bacterial infection, Strep A, in the United Kingdom as of December 5, 2022.

Strep A and its symptoms-

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common bacteria found in the throat and on the skin.
This is called invasive Group A Strep (iGAS).
It usually manifests as high fever, severe muscle aches, pain in an area of the body and unexplained vomiting or diarrhoea.
symptoms of Strep A include fever, skin rashes and a sore easily treated with antibiotics.
However, there is a chance the infection can get severe when the bacteria enters the bloodstream.
These are communicable and can spread through coughs, sneezes and close contact.
Currently, there is no vaccine available to prevent them.

What are the past trends-

As many as 851 cases of Strep A were reported from November 14-20, compared to an average of 186 for the same duration in preceding years.
Incidence of iGAS cases is also increasing, up from the pre-pandemic 0.5 cases per 100,000 children aged 1-4 years from 2017-2019 to 2.3 cases per 100,000 children this year.