Parents have received an urgent warning from health officials on a life-threatening sickness that is rife in Australia.
In Western Australia, cases of the deadly Strep A infection have doubled in the last three months, marking the state’s first significant increase in the virus in twenty years.
Authorities in Queensland, NSW, and Victorian have reported recent increases in Strep A cases among youngsters on the opposite side of the nation.
The bacterial infection, also known as group A Streptococcus, may cause additional invasive diseases and is present in the skin and throat.
It was the same illness that killed Perth teenager Aishwarya Aswath in 2021 and at least two other kids in Victoria the previous year.
Parents have been asked to keep an eye out for signs and to contact a doctor right away if they do.
They include stomach discomfort, a sore throat, fever or chills, shortness of breath, dizziness, headache, nausea, and skin infections.
According to Jonathan Carapetis, executive director of the Telethon Kids Institute, Strep A claims more than 600,000 lives each year.
He cautioned that the illness might kill in a matter of hours.
According to Professor Carapetis, it is “the nastiest bug you’ve probably never heard of… it’s the type of bug that can kill you in hours.”
You don’t wait till tomorrow to take a child to the doctor if they get really ill suddenly; instead, you take them right away to the emergency room. Children literally have the option of never waking up.
He thinks that the relaxation of Covid-19 limitations is partly to blame for the surge in Strep A infections worldwide.
He continued by pointing out that penicillin and amoxicillin shortages were having an influence on the ability to treat the disease.
The elderly, pregnant women, and youngsters in school are some of the most at risk.
Aishwarya Aswath passed away in April 2021 from sepsis when Perth Children’s Hospital personnel failed to recognize the gravity of her situation. She had had a group A streptococcus infection.
After 60 children with Strep A were hospitalized in 2022, a recent rise throughout Victoria caused the state’s top health officer, professor Brett Sutton, to issue a warning.
Children exhibiting symptoms of a dangerous bacterial illness should be given antibiotics “promptly,” according to Safer Care Victoria.
Additionally, Queensland had a 20% increase in Strep A infections in 2022, which resulted in nine fatalities.
137 instances of invasive group A streptococcus were reported in NSW in the last four months of 2022.
Dr. Richard Broome, executive director of Health Protection NSW, said: “Rapid intervention and effective treatment for invasive bacterial infections are available and may be lifesaving.”
“We encourage individuals to closely monitor their symptoms, follow their intuition, and seek immediate medical assistance if symptoms worsen or if they or the persons they care for seem extremely ill.”
There is presently no infection prevention therapy available.
Researchers from all throughout the nation, including Professor Carapetis, are now working on vaccination trials that might be operational in three years.
»Experts warn of Strep Western Australia, Queensland, NSW, and Victoria epidemic«