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Urgent warning about deadly diseases spreading across Australia at an alarming rate as dozens of children are sent to hospital, after the infection killed 37 UK children in just a few months.
Health authorities have sounded the alarm about a dangerous bacterial infection that has sent dozens of children to hospital.
Victoria’s health care watchdog revealed that two children died with group A strep infections in 2022 and more than 60 were hospitalised.
The bacterial infection, often found in the throat and on the skin, primarily triggers strep throat and scarlet fever, but can lead to invasive infections.
Group A strep is often present in humans without causing any illness or concern.
“In 2022, there was a marked increase in the number of cases of group A streptococcal infections,” Safer Care Victoria announced.
“There were at least three deaths from invasive strep infections or toxic shock syndrome, including two caused by group A strep, and many other children required intensive care.”
The healthcare watchdog revealed that 21 cases were reported in the last four months of 2022, a similar number to what Victoria sees over the course of an average year.
It comes after Strep A was responsible for the deaths of 37 children under the age of 18 since early September, with 37 people killed in total.
According to Australia’s national reportable disease surveillance system, there were more than 1,000 cases of severe invasive strep infections across the country in 2022.
In Victoria, pandemic restrictions reduced the number of invasive strep infections from 20 to 25 recorded in an average year to just three cases in 2020 and four in 2021.
Victoria’s director of health, Professor Brett Sutton, said the increase in cases in Victoria was following a trend seen in some European countries.
Streptococcus A is a bacterium that can cause infections of the throat, skin, and respiratory tract. If an infection is not treated, it can cause serious complications. Ear infections, toxic shock syndrome, and kidney inflammation are all complications that can occur.
France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom all saw a rise in cases in the second half of the year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
These cases mainly affected children under 10 years of age.
The WHO says there have been no reports of rising antibiotic resistance or new strains of the bacteria, and attributes the rise in cases to greater social mixing as Covid-19 restrictions are further eased.
Professor Sutton said young children, pregnant or postpartum women and the elderly face a higher risk of developing the deadly disease.
Symptoms can often be confused with other ailments and include fever or chills, dizziness, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, skin infection, and abdominal pain.
Safer Care Victoria recommends that children showing signs of a serious bacterial infection be treated “immediately” with antibiotics.