The spike in Strep A deaths among children could be linked to Covid-19 lockdowns, experts have said
The UK Health Security Agency said there had been a rise in cases of rare invasive Group A strep this year, particularly in children under 10, with five deaths in England this season and one in Wales.
And some experts have said the rise could be linked to lockdown, meaning children have not exposed to each other's germs over the past two years.Dr Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline: "You’ll be aware of lockdowns having an effect on immunity for things like flu – the principle is the same.
He went on: "It is possible there has been a lockdown-related reduction in natural immunity and we are now seeing a bounce with school attendance,’ Jones said.But he said that the lockdown theory was "not proven", given the year-to-year variability in cases. Four-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ali died at his home on November 14, after suffering a cardiac arrest.
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