Six-year-old dead in Strep A outbreak at Surrey school, read details inside

A 6-year-old child at a primary school died due to the ‘Strep A’ outbreak, and the community has been left in “shock”.

The local council and Ashford Church of England School expressed their sadness at the death of the pupil, who has not yet been named. The student studied at the Surrey school in Year One.

Further, the school informed the parents through an email that another child who developed the same illness was recovering.


Dr Claire Winslade, the health protection consultant of UKHSA South East, has confirmed the death of the pupil. The PA news agency obtained the email from parents sent by the school, which said that “a child in Tiger class” studying in year one has “sadly died” after invasive Group A streptococcal (IGAS) developed in the child.

They continued saying that another child studying in the year 2 class is showing “signs of recovery” after developing the “same illness.”

The school also informed that for the whole community, the news of the death came as a “shock” and that the staff is looking for advice from Public Health England on what advice they should give to parents and what actions they should take.

Group A streptococcus causes invasive disease in rare cases but mostly causes throat infections and scarlet fever. It’s when the bacteria get into body parts where bacteria aren’t generally found, like muscle, lungs, or blood, and then the invasive disease occurs.

The bacteria can get into body parts when a person's immune system is depleted or through an open wound.

FAQs:

1. Is group B strep serious?
It’s harmless in healthy adults but can prove deadly for newborns.

2. Is Strep B considered an STD?
No