At least 19 children have died after being diagnosed with invasive strep A.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced today that 16 under-18s have died in England since September of the bacterial infection.
Three other deaths of children have been recorded in Belfast and Wales, bringing the UK death toll to 19.
It’s believed health officials do not believe the UK has reached the peak of infections, however, suggesting that more deaths may be incoming.
The bacteria, otherwise known as Group A streptococcus, can cause various illnesses like strep throat, scarlet fever, tonsillitis and impetigo.
Though most of these infections are mild at best – a quick dose of antibiotics is all that’s needed – sometimes it can get more serious.
Usually, strep A bacteria tucks itself away in people’s throats but sometimes can worm its way into people’s bloodstream – this is called invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) disease.
Necrotizing fasciitis, necrotizing pneumonia and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome are among the infections caused by iGAS.
The UKHSA says there is no evidence that there is a new strain spreading.
It’s still unclear why strep A cases are rising now, but the increase could be down to high amounts of circulating bacteria as more people socialise.
UKHSA deputy director Dr Colin Brown said: ‘Scarlet fever and “strep throat” will make children feel unwell, but can be easily treated with antibiotics.
‘Symptoms to look out for include fever, sore throat, swollen glands, difficulty swallowing, and headache.’
‘It is very rare that a child will go on to become more seriously ill, but parents know better than anyone else what your child is usually like,’ he added, ‘so you’ll know when they are not responding as they would normally.’
A spokesman for Public Health Wales said: ‘Public Health Wales has confirmed it is investigating the deaths of two children as possible iGAS cases.
‘Due to the risk of identification, Public Health Wales will not confirm numbers of deaths lower than five.’
The UKHSA stressed that invasive infections are still rare.
This season, there have been 111 iGAS cases in children aged between one and four – this is compared to 194 in 2017 and 2018.
In the next age group, five to nine-year-olds, there have been 74 cases this season compared to 117 across the 2017-18 season.
Health officials add that the bulk of iGAS cases continue to appear in patients over 45.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.