Parents told to send children to school even if a friend has Strep A

PARENTS have been told to send their children to school even if a classmate has Strep A.

Official guidance from the Department for Education released on Wednesday urges parents not to keep their child out of school if a friend catches Strep A, which can cause tonsillitis, scarlet fever and impetigo as well as IGAS, a rare form of the disease.

At least nine children have died so far this winter after developing IGAS.

“If there are confirmed or suspected cases in an education setting there is no reason for children to be kept at home if they are well,” the DFE said.

However, the Government says that if a child is suspected of having Strep A then they should not attend school and parents should seek medical attention.

The UKHSA says that an infected child should be pulled out of school and given antibiotics, but can return just 24 hours later.

Pharmacies have reported supply issues of some forms of penicillin used to treat Strep A as health authorities prepare to give out preventative courses to entire year groups where there are severe localised outbreaks. Health Secretary Steve Barclay has insisted there is no shortage of antibiotics, despite one form of liquid amoxicillin being reportedly in short supply.

The Daily Telegraph understands that Pen V, the main drug used to treat Strep A, is in plentiful supply.

But Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, said: “Mr Barclay is saying there’s no shortage of antibiotics, yet when people go to their pharmacy they are finding there is no stock.

“Pharmacies across the country are reporting that they are struggling to get stock from wholesalers.”

Figures show that more children under the age of 14 have now died of Strep A this winter than died of Covid in all of 2020. Seven children are known to have died of IGAS in England, with one case in Northern Ire- land and one in Wales. Scotland is yet to record a death despite 13 IGAS cases in under-10s.

A small number of children die of IGAS every year but official figures are not published.

In comparison, only eight youngsters died following a coronavirus infection in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2020.

Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the University of Oxford’s Centre for Evidence-based Medicine, said: “At some point the immune deficit brought about by lockdowns has to be repaid.

“In terms of the high levels of Group A Strep infections there have been notable increases in cases in the past. However, what is different this time is the high levels of viral co-circulation in the community, and the high number of deaths in children.”

This week Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), also confirmed that restrictions meant infections were circulating at greater levels.

It comes as experts warn that lockdowns have left a large pool of children vulnerable to the infection.

‘Pharmacies are reporting that they are struggling to get [antibiotics to treat Strep A] from wholesalers’