June 13, 2023
FEATURED, Society, Very Mix
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A 7-year-old child died after infection with Streptococcus A (Strep A). The boy’s 8-year-old cousin has been admitted to hospital with the same bacterial infection. It is the sixth death due to Strep A recorded in Greece since the beginning of 2023, the National Public Health Organization (EODY) announced late on Monday.
The 7-year-old child died in a hospital in Thessaloniki, northern Greece, on Monday, some 24 hours after he was admitted to the hospital with high fever. the boy ultimately suffered a heart attack following a septic shock.
The parents had brought the child first to another hospital in Imathia region of northern Greece on Friday.
The boy’s devastated father told Alpha TV that Streptococcus was not diagnosed in the local hospital and precious time was lost as the child was slowly developing symptoms of septic shock.
“he was a healthy 7-year-old child, very active, he never had any health issues,” the father underlined.
The local prosecutor has ordered an investigation into the child’s death.
Meanwhile, media reported on Tuesday that the child’s cousin is receiving proper treatment.
In a statement issued in the aftermath of the child’s death, EODY said that from September 2022 to the present, there has been an upsurge in cases of invasive group A streptococcal infections in several European nations.
Several deaths from the infection in children under the age of 10 years were reported in the UK, France and Ireland over this period of time.
Health experts believe that the increase in cases and deaths may be related to the increased circulation of respiratory viruses (influenza, RSV), as viral co-infection with streptococcus increases the risk of invasive infection with this bacterium.