A mother calls for vigilance after her six-year-old daughter was hospitalized with a serious strep A infection, the cases of which are on the rise and contributing to overcrowding in pediatric ERs as the holidays approach.
“Don’t hesitate to consult when you see that your child is in really bad shape. My daughter, she had to be intubated, I was afraid of losing her, ”says Mélanie Hurteau on the phone in Ormstown, near Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, in Montérégie.
The mother-of-three is still in shock as her youngest, Madison, is quietly recovering from strep A thanks to antibiotics.
In most cases, the bacteria present in the throat and on the skin cause mild infections, such as pharyngitis or scarlet fever.
The six-year-old was less lucky: covered in red patches, the fever did not pass after 48 hours. She had to be rushed by ambulance to the Montreal Children’s Hospital, where she was hospitalized for three days and put in an induced coma.
More exposed to bugs
In recent weeks, Quebec and at least five European countries have reported an increase in cases of invasive group A streptococcal infections.
“We are in a post-pandemic phase. For two years, the population has not been exposed to all kinds of viruses and bacteria such as influenza and strep A and there is a kind of catch-up, ”explains the Dr Karl Weiss, microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal.
“We have more cases and it is mathematical, the more cases we have, the more severe and invasive infections we have”, he underlines.
After COVID-19 and the respiratory syncytial virus, it is the turn of influenza and streptococcus A to wreak havoc in pediatric emergencies, despite a relative lull in recent days.
“It’s hell”, drop the Dr Christos Karatzios, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, whose emergency department is still running at almost maximum capacity, with 11 of the 12 beds occupied. 10 days ago, young patients even had to be transferred upstairs, for lack of space.
Superinfection
Christos Karatzios explains that streptococcus A can create a bacterial superinfection after a child has contracted the flu, which leads to complications, such as infections of the trachea and very serious pneumonia.
“We see children [sans] no respiratory problems who are hospitalized because they need oxygen. Little babies are almost drowned in their secretions,” he sighs.
As the holidays approach, experts are calling on people to get the flu shot, wash their hands regularly, wear a mask in crowded places and avoid gatherings when sick.
What is strep A?
It is a common bacteria found in the throat and on the skin
One in five people is not sick, but it can degenerate
Mild symptoms
- Sore throat
- Skin infections like scarlet fever
Serious symptoms
- Fever
- Significant discomfort
- Pain at the infected site
- Redness may quickly spread to the infected site
Complications:
- Pneumonia
- Flesh-eating bacteria
- toxic shock
Source: DRPS
When to consult?
When the child has a fever again after recovering from the flu and it is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhoea, skin rashes or red eyes. It is no longer the time to give him Tylenol and wait until the next morning, you must consult immediately, says Dr. Christos Karatzios.
“We must consult immediately, we must not wait, we do not know what can happen. I may have waited too long, ”adds Mélanie Hurteau.