FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Greek health authorities are on alert after an 8-year-old boy from Thessaloniki died due to group A streptococcus infection.
The 8-year-old from Imathia who was rushed to the Ippokratis hospital in Thessaloniki is the sixth case of death this year from invasive streptococcal disease. This dangerous infection is being studied by European health authorities.
On Tuesday morning, his 9-year-old cousin was brought to the same hospital with the same symptoms.
Pediatricians are on full alert for strep, as cases typically increase when children's immune systems are weakened by recurring fall and winter viruses.
According to reports from international and European public health bodies (World Health Organization, European Center for Disease Control and Prevention), since September 2022 there has been an increase in cases of invasive group A streptococcal infection (iGAS) in several European countries .
During the same period, 48 child deaths from this microbe were reported in children under 10 years of age in Great Britain, France and Ireland.
Based on the concern of fatal cases, the National Public Health Organization has sent an informative report with instructions to all hospital institutions in the country, on the necessity of declaring all cases of invasive streptococcal infection A. At the same time, instructions were sent to the Public Health Administrations regarding case management in the home and school environment.
Specialists advise that parents, as soon as they see that the child has a fever, should not wait three days for the temperature to drop, but consult a pediatrician immediately. Also, they should not do the streptococcal tests themselves from pharmacies.
Group A streptococcus is spread through close contact with an infected person through coughing and sneezing or from a wound. Some people can carry the bacteria without getting sick or showing symptoms of an infection, and they can also spread it. The risk of spreading is much greater when a person has symptoms.
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