Warning to parents as seventh child dies of Strep A: Nadhim Zahawi urges parents to be wary of symptoms as tragedy strikes again

• A 12-year-old buy attending a school in London was the latest victim of Strep A
• Camila Rose Burns, four, is on a ventilator in Liverpool, fighting for her life
• Thousands of parents are considering pulling their children out of school 
• Parents urged to contact NHS 111 or their GP if children with symptoms worsen, start eating less, or show signs of dehydration

A seventh child has died from the winter bug Strep A – leading the Government to urge parents to be extra vigilant if their children fall ill.

A 12-year-old boy attending a school in London was the latest victim.

Cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday said that though most cases of Strep A were mild, parents should be mindful of the symptoms. ‘It is really important to be vigilant because in the very rare circumstance that it becomes serious then it needs urgent treatment,’ the Tory party chairman told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

‘It is highly infectious, which is why the important message to get across is parents should look out for the symptoms – so fever, headache, skin rash.’

Fighting for her life: Camila Rose, four, on a ventilator in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool

Heartbreaking: Camila Rose Burns, pictured with her father Dean, has been critically ill 

Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, who attended Oakridge School and Nursery in High Wycombe, Bucks, died after contracting the bacterial infection

Strep throat is different from a regular sore throat and the pain can affect sufferers very quickly. Symptoms include pain when swallowing, fever, red and swollen tonsils – sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus – breathing difficulties and headaches.

The NHS recommends people see their GP if a sore throat does not improve after a week, if their symptoms are causing them to worry, if they have a high temperature or if they feel hot and shivery. Those with weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing chemotherapy, should also see a doctor.

Scarlet fever symptoms are often flu-like, and include a high temperature, a sore throat and swollen neck glands.

A rash appears 12 to 48 hours later, starting on the chest and stomach and then spreading.

The latest victim is reported to have been a Year 8 pupil at fee-paying Colfe’s School in Lewisham, south-east London. He is the first secondary school pupil to die in the current outbreak. Meanwhile, four-year-old Camila Rose Burns, from Bolton, who has been fighting for her life on a ventilator after contracting Strep A, remains in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.

Last night her father Dean Burns said: ‘She is still in intensive care but she is showing signs of improvement. We just keep praying she recovers. Her body went into shock so her limbs have been seriously damaged. It’s heartbreaking’

Group A Strep bacteria usually cause only relatively minor illnesses, such as the skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever and a sore throat. But in rare cases they can trigger a life-threatening illness called invasive Group A Streptococcal disease.

Four-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, died last month after contracting Strep A and then suffering a cardiac arrest.

Another of the children who have died was a six-year-old, believed to be a girl, who attended Ashford Church of England Primary School in Surrey. 

Thousands of parents are considering pulling their children out of school as the illness sweeps through classrooms.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it is up to local health protection teams to decide whether parents of children at schools where there have been confirmed infections should be advised to keep them at home.

According to information published by UKHSA, children with scarlet fever – where Strep A causes a sandpaper-type rash –should be kept at home.

Health officials are urging parents to contact NHS 111 or their GP if children with symptoms get worse, start eating less, or show signs of dehydration.

Nadhim Zahawi yesterday said that though most cases of Strep A were mild, parents should be mindful of the symptoms

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