Concern continues to rise in England over strep A infections, as the number of young victims has nearly doubled since the start of the week.
According to the latest figures from the British health agency (UKHSA), 15 children under the age of 15 have died as a result of this bacterium, which causes infections such as angina or scarlet fever.
659 cases in England
This year, the cases of sick children are increasing considerably, by 30% in the entire Canal. 659 cases have been recorded since the start of the epidemic season in England, the highest level ever reached at this time of year in five years.
In France, although the situation is less worrisome, the General Directorate of Health warned on Tuesday of a “higher than usual” number of streptococcal A infections, with the hospitalization in the intensive care unit of eight children, including two deaths. In the Landes, a little girl died at the end of November after worsening angina caused by strep A.
Overburdened emergency services
The situation is even more difficult in the UK, and particularly in the South East of England, as emergency services are overwhelmed by the arrival of very young patients. ER doctors say they have seen the number of children in care double in recent weeks.
In addition to strep A infections, caregivers have to deal with an increase in cases of influenza and bronchiolitis, as in France. So much so that the waiting time for a third of the patients now exceeds four hours. On the side of the NHS emergency number, Britain’s universal health system, calls exploded, saturating the lines.
Adrian Boyle, president of Great Britain’s Royal College of Emergency Medicine, confirmed in the independent a “serious pressure on our pediatric services”.
“We expect to see twice as many patients in the pediatric emergency department. One of the main problems and that strep A infections require face-to-face consultation,” he said.
always in the independent, a mother, who had to take her daughter to an English emergency department, said she was deeply shocked to see children sitting on the floor in hospital corridors. Some comments report that parents waited 15 hours before being seen.
A tense situation, which makes it even more difficult for doctors to control the spread of strep A infections. The bacteria is spread when sick people, ie children, do not adhere to strict hygiene.
The amoxicillin problem
Adding to these difficulties at the hospital are problems with the supply of amoxicillin, the main antibiotic used to treat strep A infections.
Pharmaceutical associations point the finger at the government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, which did not sufficiently anticipate the situation, while from November there was an increase in demand.
“All antibiotics related to amoxicillin are missing. Problems started to surface in early November, but this was ignored because the response is poor. And also because it would have required wholesalers to be transparent with the government. But now, we are reaching that stage. of crisis, patients are arriving, and they may have gone to four or five pharmacies before,” he explained to the independent Raza Ali, a neighborhood pharmacist.
According to guardianSeveral pharmacists indicated that they could not order antibiotics through their traditional suppliers, systematically receiving an error message when ordering.
No shortage according to the government
The British government merely declares that there is no shortage, just an increase in demand. “There is no shortage of antibiotics used to treat strep A infections. As the Secretary of State reminded us, we sometimes have increased demand for certain products, which is why some have difficulty obtaining supplies,” the Department said. UK Health. on Tuesday.
These difficulties in the supply of amoxicillin are not only visible in England. France is in a similar situation. Consulted on this point this Friday morning on BFMTV-RMC, the Minister of Health, François Braun, did not deny the supply difficulties, in relation to the problems observed in the production of the active ingredient. However, he assured that there are alternatives.
But in England, the accumulation of these various problems is worrying, while the number of deaths related to strep A has reached unprecedented levels. The Welsh authorities have ensured that cases remain rare in their territory, all like the Scottish ones, where only 13 cases of children affected by streptococcus A have been identified.
Source: BFM TV
