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UKHSA update on scarlet fever and invasive group A strep

Latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on scarlet fever and invasive group A strep cases.

Latest update

The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that scarlet fever infections remain high and are fluctuating with levels similar to those seen during the last comparably high season in 2017 to 2018.

The number of weekly notifications of invasive group A strep (iGAS) in children has slowed since December 2022. High levels of activity at such an early point in the season remains a concern, with further increases possible in the coming weeks as we move towards the usual peak time of the year for infections. While iGAS is still very rare, notifications remain relatively high in children compared to what we typically see – these rates are more in keeping with the previous high season of 2017 to 2018.

There continue to be increased notifications in older adult age groups, and as in previous seasons, the majority of iGAS cases have continued to be among those aged over 45 years, particularly in those aged over 75 years.

Dr Derren Ready, UKHSA incident director, said:

Scarlet fever notifications have fallen significantly since the peak in December but remain at a high level. This decline should be treated with caution as spring is usually the period of the year that we could see infections rise again. Please contact NHS 111 or your GP if you suspect you or your child have scarlet fever – with symptoms such as fever, sore throat, difficulty swallowing and a sandpapery rash.

Most winter illnesses can be managed at home, and NHS.UK has information to help parents look after children with mild illnesses. Contact NHS 111 or your GP surgery if you think your child is getting worse, for instance, if they are feeding or eating less than normal, are dehydrated, have a high temperature that won’t go down, are very hot and sweaty or seem more tired or irritable than normal.

It is important that we continue to help stop the spread of all germs in the community and to vulnerable groups. Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, catch coughs and sneezes in a tissue, and keep your home well ventilated. If you are unwell with any infection, you should avoid visiting vulnerable people, and stay away from school, nursery or work if you are unwell with a fever.

So far this season (from 12 September 2022 to 28 February 2023), there have been 47,084 notifications of scarlet fever. In the last comparable high season of 2017 to 2018 (September to August), there were 30,768 scarlet fever notifications overall across the year.

Invasive group A strep infections remain rare but are currently higher than expected in a typical year. So far this season, there have been:

  • 2,178 iGAS cases across all age groups, compared to 2,898 across the whole of the last comparably high season in 2017 to 2018
  • 242 iGAS cases in children aged 1 to 4 years compared to 194 cases in the 2017 to 2018 season
  • 160 cases in children aged 5 to 9 years, compared to 112 during the 2017 to 2018 season

Sadly, so far this season, there have been 285 deaths across all age groups in England. This figure includes 35 children under 18 years in England. In the 2017 to 2018 season (September to August), there were 354 deaths in total across the season, including 27 deaths among children under 18 years.

Channel website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-health-security-agency

Original article link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-update-on-scarlet-fever-and-invasive-group-a-strep-1

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