Child at Morecambe nursery tests positive for Strep A
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Lancaster Road Nursery put out a statement on Tuesday afternoon to confirm the positive test in one of the children who attends to the nursery.
The statement on the nursery's Facebook page said: "Just to let you know we have had a child from our nursery test positive for Strep A today.
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Hide Ad"We are making sure to do extra hand washing and cleaning to help prevent different germs spreading."
The nursery said the case was reported in the Bumblebee classroom, but added that other children are showing symptoms in other classes.
The news follows a rise in the number of UK cases of Strep A in children under 10.
The bacteria group A Streptococcus usually only causes mild sickness but it rare cases it can be fatal.
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Hide AdSince September, nine UK children have lost their lives due to complications of the disease.
The UK Health Security Agency has warned parents to be on the look-out for symptoms.
Deputy director Dr Colin Brown said: "We are seeing a higher number of cases of Group A strep this year than usual.
"The bacteria usually causes a mild infection producing sore throats or scarlet fever that can be easily treated with antibiotics.
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Hide Ad"In very rare circumstances, this bacteria can get into the bloodstream and cause serious illness – called invasive Group A strep.
"This is still uncommon; however, it is important that parents are on the lookout for symptoms and see a doctor as quickly as possible so that their child can be treated and we can stop the infection becoming serious.
"Make sure you talk to a health professional if your child is showing signs of deteriorating after a bout of scarlet fever, a sore throat, or a respiratory infection."
UKHSA said there were 2.3 cases per 100,000 children aged one to four this year in England, compared to an average of 0.5 in the pre-pandemic seasons (2017 to 2019) and 1.1 cases per 100,000 children aged 5 to 9 compared to the pre-pandemic average of 0.3 (2017 to 2019) at the same time of the year.
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Hide AdBetween September 12 and November 20 there were 74 reported cases in the north west.