Strep A: The real reason for the outbreak has been revealed

The UK is experiencing a surge in 'Strep A' bacterial infection cases, with eight children dead up to this point, The Telegraph reports.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), invasive Group A streptococcus called (iGAS) is a common bacteria which,

Lots of us carry it in our throats and on our skin and it doesn’t always result in illness. However, GAS does cause a number of infections, some mild and some more serious.

Whilst iGAS infections are still uncommon, there has been an increase in cases this year, particularly in children under 10 and sadly, a small number of deaths.

The lockdown as a likely cause of the surge

Officials have admitted for the first time that the outbreak of 'Strep A' is linked to the lockdowns due to Covid-19.

In an alert released last week by UKHSA, collected data suggeststhat the rate of severe cases of iGAS have increased four-fold from pre-pandemic levels.

Scientists are explaining this phenomenonas 'immunity debt' and in this case, it is believed to be linked to the Covid-19 lockdowns.

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSAsays the surge is 'related to high amounts of circulating bacteria and social mixing', The Guardian reports. She said:

We’re back to normal social mixing and the patterns of diseases that we’re seeing in the last number of months are out of sync with the normal seasons as people mix back to normal and move around and pass infections on.

And so that means that, as things get back to normal, these traditional infections that we’ve seen for many years are circulating at great levels.

Fears of a potential shortage of penicillin

'Strep A' is commonly treated with antibiotics such as penicillin V.

Parents have been advised to screen for symptoms and call the NHS for advice in case a sore throat or scarlet fever gets worse.

Amid the surge,general practitioners (GPs) have also been advised to 'lower the threshold' for prescribing antibiotics, sooner than they normally would.

Meanwhile, this has induced a fear of falling short of penicillin, as many chemists have experienced a shortage of the drug.

Sources used:

-TheTelegraph: 'Strep A surge linked to lockdown, health officials admit for first time'

-UKHSA: 'Group A Strep - What you need to know'

-TheGuardian: 'Strep A: No 10 tells parents to look for signs of infection with reports of eighth death'