Since September, six children have died in Great Britain after being infected with group A streptococci, which cause scarlet fever, for example. It is unclear why this accumulation exists. However, the health authority calls for more vigilance.

The British health authority UKHSA has urged parents and doctors to be vigilant after a cluster of deaths in children in Great Britain from streptococcal infections. According to the authority, there have been above-average cases of scarlet fever and other diseases caused by group A streptococci in England this year. Children are particularly affected.

Scarlet fever is considered a childhood disease and, according to the Robert Koch Institute, is one of the most common bacterial infectious diseases in children. Concern in the UK is that five children under the age of 10 in England - and one in Wales - have died since September after contracting Strep Group A.

Bacterial infections can actually be treated well by administering antibiotics. But in rare cases, they cause serious complications. "Given the potential for serious illness in children, it remains important that cases of scarlet fever are treated promptly with antibiotics to prevent further spread and reduce the risk of potential complications for sufferers and their contacts," the agency said in a statement UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency).

It is not yet clear what caused the increase this year. However, experts believe it is possible that many children are less immune than in previous years due to the contact restrictions in the corona pandemic. Most recently, in the winter of 2017/18, there was an increased number of serious diseases caused by group A streptococci. At that time, four children in England died of complications in the same period.