Black Mountain Primary School, in collaboration with the Public Health Agency, sent a letter to parents regarding the “tragic loss.”
A five-year-old Belfast primary school student is the ninth kid to pass away from a Strep A infection.
Black Mountain Primary School wrote a message to parents on Friday, noting the “tragic loss” and extending condolences to the student’s family and friends.
The assertion read: “Additional trained members of the Education Authority Critical Incident Response Team have been enlisted and will provide support to the school to aid in assisting our students and faculty during this difficult time.
“The school has written a letter to parents alerting them of our dreadful loss and informing them of the support services available to our children during this difficult time.
We recognize that this news may cause concern among our school community, and we wish to reassure parents that we are continuing to work closely with the Public Health Agency at this time.
The Northern Ireland health officials have yet to comment on the tragedy.
The P2 student is the ninth person in the United Kingdom to have died from Strep A.
Strep A infections are often minor and can be readily treated with amoxicillin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. The incidence of iGAS, an invasive form of bacteria, has doubled this year, particularly among children under the age of 10.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of instances of scarlet fever, which can cause a sore throat, headache, fever, and a “sandpapery” feeling of pinkish or red rash on the body.
Clusters of scarlet fever cases were recorded in schools and nurseries in Antrim, Belfast, Bangor, and Craigavon, prompting the Public Health Agency of Northern Ireland to encourage parents and caregivers to be aware of the symptoms.
It was stated that this follows two years during the COVID-19 pandemic in which there were fewer recorded cases than usual.
Tuesday, Schools Minister Nick Gibb told that youngsters with Strep A could be given medication to prevent infection.
Working closely with the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), Mr. Gibb stated that schools are receiving “quite precise advice” that may contain penicillin.
Dr. Colin Brown, deputy director of the UKHSA, told that a “long-standing guideline” allows health protection teams to review the situation in schools and nurseries to consider antibiotic prophylaxis for “either a group of children in certain classes or an entire nursery school.”
Following the deaths of at least nine children in the United Kingdom, Dr. Brown emphasized that there is no evidence that the strains of Strep A in circulation had become more severe.
He suggested that a lack of mixing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the susceptibility of youngsters, is “pushing forward the typical scarlet fever season” to just before the holiday season.
