Health officials are investigating whether the death of a child in Wales is linked to an infection with Strep A.

There have been 16 confirmed deaths in the UK of children with Strep A since September.

Public Health Wales (PHW), Powys Teaching Health Board and Powys County Council said an inquiry has been launched following “the recent death of a child in Powys”.

Dr Ardiana Gjini, from PHW, urged parents “to be vigilant for signs and symptoms” of the “very rare complication”.

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Symptoms can include pain when swallowing, fever, swollen tonsils with white patches, swollen neck glands, a high temperature or a skin rash.

The UK Health Security Agency has previously said there is currently no evidence a new strain of Strep A is in circulation.

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The rise in cases is mostly being attributed to high amounts of circulating bacteria and an increase in social mixing.

It comes as the funeral was held today in Belfast for a five-year-old girl who died after contracting Strep A.

Dr Gjini said that people “identified for public health action have already been contacted and provided with appropriate treatment and advice”.

She added: “We offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and all those affected.

“A multi-agency incident management team is following normal processes, and investigating links to Invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS), a very rare complication of Group A Streptococcal infection.

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“Individuals who have not been contacted do not need to take any specific action.

“However, we remind parents to be vigilant for signs and symptoms of scarlet fever and iGAS.

“While we understand that parents are likely to be worried, cases of Invasive Group A Streptococcal infection remain rare in Wales, and children have a very low risk of contracting the disease.”

Primary school pupil Hanna Roap, from Penarth in South Wales, was among the UK’s 16 fatalities.

In a statement on Tuesday, PHW said: “Public Health Wales have been notified of fewer than five deaths in children under the age of 15 in whom iGAS was detected since 1 September 2022.”

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NHS Wales’s 111 phone line was inundated with more than 18,000 calls over the weekend amid concerns about Strep A symptoms – more than double the number of calls taken in the same period last year, according to PHW.

It has prompted the organisation to launch a symptom checker for parents with a traffic light system to help them decide when to seek medical help for their child.

Dr Graham Brown, consultant in communicable disease control for PHW, wanted to reassure parents it is “usually a mild illness from which most children will recover without complications, especially if the condition is properly treated with antibiotics”.

“In very rare cases, Group A Streptococcal infection can cause iGAS, a rare complication which usually affected fewer than 20 children in Wales each year,” added Dr Brown.

“Although iGAS is a worrying condition, the majority of these children will recover with proper treatment.”

The NHS says scarlet fever often starts with flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature, sore throat and swollen neck glands, followed 12 to 48 hours later with a rash, which has small, raised bumps and makes your skin feel rough, like sandpaper.

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