THE SUDDEN, unexplained death of an eight-year-old girl in Ceredigion is being looked into by police. The young girl from Maes-y-Deri, Lampeter, passed away on December 22 in the evening.
According to Dyfed-Powys Police, a 33-year-old lady was detained on Friday, December 23, on suspicion of neglecting a child. She has subsequently been freed while the investigation is ongoing. Following the child’s passing, Public Health Wales is looking into any connections to invasive Strep A and is collaborating with Ceredigion Council and Hywel Dda University Health Board.
Dr Graham Brown, consultant in communicable disease control for Public Health Wales, said: “Public Health Wales is working with Hywel Dda University Health Board and Ceredigion Council following the death of a child in Lampeter. We offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends and all those affected. Public Health Wales cannot comment on individual cases.
“We are investigating links to Invasive Group A Streptococcal disease (iGAS), a very rare complication of Group A Streptococcal infection. While we understand that parents are likely to be worried, cases of iGAS remain rare in Wales, and children have a very low risk of contracting the disease.”
Aggressive strep When Strep A infection happens, when a bacteria commonly overcomes an infected individual’s defences when that person has open wounds, cracks in their skin, or is immunocompromised.
Less than five deaths of children under the age of 15 in whom iGAS was discovered have been reported to Public Health Wales since September 1, 2022, according to its most recent update, which was released on December 20.
The following update is expected later today (December 28). According to the UK Health Security Agency, as of December 22, 24 children had died in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland as a result of Strep A.
The symptoms of an invasive Strep A infection are:
Fever (above 38°C)
Severe muscle aches
Localised muscle tenderness
Redness at the site of a wound
If your child is showing any symptoms of invasive Strep A, you should contact your GP immediately.
Additionally, you should call your doctor if your kid exhibits any of the following symptoms of scarlet fever, another complication of Strep A infection: fever, nausea, vomiting, or a fine, sandpaper-like pink-red rash. On the Public Health Wales website, you may find more details about Strep A.
In addition to Hanna Roap, a student from Penarth who passed away 24 hours after falling ill, and a child in Powys whose death was confirmed on December 14 and is being investigated as possibly being related to Strep A, the child’s death in Lampeter is the latest in a string of deaths that have been linked to the infection.
A spokesperson for Ceredigion Council said: “Our thoughts are with the family and we are supporting them in every way we can. The Council cannot comment further due to the ongoing police investigation.”
