A mother has warned parents to be vigilant and look out for the symptoms of Strep A.
The warning comes as a Year 8 pupil from South East London has died after contracting Strep A, while another family share details of the symptoms their son experienced before sadly passing away.
Colfe’s School wrote to parents on Thursday to inform them a student had died after developing the infection.
It is believed that the year 8 student was aged 10, there have been six recorded deaths in under 10s as of Friday.
It comes as families who have lost children to the disease have warned others about the symptoms to look out for.
Speaking to Sky News‘ Sadiya Chowdhury, Muhammad Ibrahim Ali’s mother, Shabana Kousar, said the first sign of her little boy being unwell was a red rash across his lower back.
Telling Sky News that a full course of antibiotics appeared to help the four-year-old, but when his symptoms persisted two weeks later, she was given Calpol for him.
Ibrahim’s condition worsened and he developed stomach pains.
He died in an ambulance en route to hospital in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
A week later, his post-mortem test results showed he had Strep A in his blood.
What symptoms should you watch out for with Strep A?
The Strep A is a highly contagious bacterial infection which is usually relatively mild and causes scarlet fever, it can be deadly if it enters the bloodstream.
symptoms of Strep A include: pain when swallowing, fever, swollen tonsils with white patches, swollen neck glands, a high temperature or a skin rash.