Christmas Strep A warning as figures show grandparents are more at risk than children

While a number of European nations are experiencing an outbreak, the UK is the worst affected country, reporting more than 6,600 cases of scarlet fever and 652 cases of invasive group A strep infection in just a 12-week period. 

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, more than 18 million people worldwide are affected by group A strep infections. The bacterium spreads through multiple different routes, such as large respiratory droplets, nasal secretion, dust particles or direct skin contact. 

The most common symptoms of group A strep infection are a high fever with a sore throat, scarlet fever, a headache, nausea and abdominal pain. In some cases, people can develop post-infection autoimmune reactions. 

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), incidence of scarlet fever is much higher than is typically seen at this time of year. Earlier this month, officials logged 851 cases of the infection, compared to the 186 average from previous years

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Article source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1711824/strep-a-uk-maria-claufield-daisy-cooper-uksha