A MUM thought her five-year-old daughter was going to die after doctors missed signs she was suffering with invasive Strep A.
Tanya Dawson initially thought little Lyra had a common cold before discovering she had actually contracted the highly-contagious condition.
MEN MediaTanya Dawson with daughter Lyra, who contracted invasive Group A Strep[/caption]
The 22-year-old then feared the worst following the deaths of several children across the UK.
The toll has now reached at least nine, with others fighting for life in hospital.
Tanya, from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, told GrimsbyLive: “At first I thought there was something wrong but I didn’t know anything about this illness until Sunday night.
“I thought she was going to die.”
Lyra first started showing symptoms on December 3 and soon struggled to eat or drink anything.
She later couldn’t swallow her own saliva and was unable to lift her head off her pillow so her mum rushed her to hospital.
Medics diagnosed the youngster with tonsillitis, which is caused by group A streptococcus, and sent her home with medication but it did little to help.
After listening to a “weak” Lyra struggling to breathe overnight, Tanya realised something was seriously wrong and rushed her back to A&E.
There, she was told her daughter was battling invasive group A strep, known as iGAS, sending her mum into panic mode.
Thankfully, with the right drugs. Lyra is making a slow recovery but Tanya wants to warn other parents to take the infection more seriously.
“I’m scared to think of what could have happened if I didn’t take her to hospital as quickly as I did,” she said.
“If you see a high temperature or even a nappy rash, please take your children to A&E to get checked out.”
At least nine children have died after contracting Strep A – a bacteria that can cause many different infections including scarlet fever, impetigo and strep throat.
This includes five-year-old Stella-Lily McCorkindale in Belfast, Muhammed Ibrahim Ali, four, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and seven-year-old Hanna Roap, from Penarth, near Cardiff.
Lockdowns during the pandemic, when kids were trapped indoors, are being blamed for the outbreak.
There have been 2.3 cases per 100,000 children aged one to four this year, compared to an average of 0.5 pre-pandemic, according to the UKHSA.
In children aged five to nine, there have been 1.1 cases per 100,000 compared with a pre-pandemic average of 0.3.
Downing Street said it can “fully understand” that parents are concerned by rising cases but stressed the NHS is “well prepared” for such situations.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay today insisted there is no shortage of antibiotics used to treat Strep A, but urged mums and dads to be vigilant.
While the vast majority of infections are relatively mild, sometimes the bacteria cause serious and life-threatening invasive Group A Streptococcal disease.
This occurs when the bacteria have invaded parts of the body such as the blood, deep muscle or lungs.
Two of the most severe, but rare, forms of invasive disease are necrotising fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
HIGH ALERT: Symptoms of invasive Strep A
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) – is also known as Streptococcus pyogenes – and is a bacteria that can cause mild illnesses like sore throats and skin infections, including tonsillitis cellulitis, impetigo and scarlet fever.
In rare cases, the bacteria can trigger the life-threatening illness, invasive group A Strep disease.
Guidance from the NHS states that there are four key signs of invasive disease:
fever (a high temperature above 38°C (100.4°F)
severe muscle aches
localised muscle tenderness
redness at the site of a wound
Invasive disease happens when the bacteria break through the body’s immune defences.
It can happen if you’re already ill or have a weakened immune system.
Two of the most severe examples of invasive disease are necrotising fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome.
You’re at increased risk of Group Strep A invasive disease if you:
are in close contact with someone who has the disease
are over the age of 65
are diabetic, have heart disease or cancer
have recently had chickenpox
have HIV
use some steroids or intravenous drugs, according to the NHS.
Group Strep A bacteria can also cause scarlet fever, which can be serious if it’s not treated with antibiotics.