A five-year-old boy in the UK passed away just one day after returning home from the hospital.
Before his visit to Portsmouth’s Queen Alexandra Hospital, Jax Jeffries had a persistent cough and was unusually drowsy. A few days later, he developed a fever along with a red rash.
Initially, doctors diagnosed him with the flu, prescribed some steroids, and sent him home. Tragically, he died while being taken back to the hospital the following evening.
“They said there was nothing they could do, just paracetamol. Please rest,” his mother, Charlene McCormack, recounted in testimony to jurors at Winchester Coroner’s Court.
Interestingly, Jax didn’t have a sore throat or any pus that would typically indicate a bacterial infection. Yet, he exhibited red rashes on his head, face, neck, and back, which could suggest another underlying issue.
They considered the possibility of heat rash due to his temperature, but it seems that this was never followed up on. “The nurse said she’d inform the doctor, but those concerns were left unaddressed,” Ms. McCormack noted.
A blood test confirmed the flu, but no other tests were conducted before Jax was sent home, with instructions to return only if further tests revealed anything else.
The next night, he complained about not being able to feel his legs, and on the way back to the hospital, he began to bleed and, sadly, died.
What is a Streptococcus A infection?
A strep A infection occurs when any of the 120 types of group A streptococcus enters the body through the skin or throat.
Most of the illnesses caused by this bacterium are mild, but, in rare cases, they can be serious and life-threatening.
Common mild infections include strep throat, impetigo (which results in sores and blisters around the mouth and nose), and scarlet fever, characterized by a sore throat and rash.
On the more severe side, infections can lead to conditions like cellulitis (which targets deeper skin tissues), necrotizing fasciitis (often called flesh-eating disease), and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which affects multiple organs.
It’s worth noting that strep A infections can also lead to long-term complications, such as rheumatic fever, which affects the joints and heart, and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, an inflammation of the kidneys.
What are the symptoms of streptococcus type A?
The symptoms can vary significantly based on the particular illness caused by the Streptococcus A bacteria.
Mild infections might show signs like difficulty swallowing or experiencing pain while doing so, headaches, red spots in the mouth, abdominal pain, swollen tonsils, and sore throats.
When this bacteria affects the skin, typical symptoms include rashes on the neck or armpits, red sores on the nose or mouth, itchy skin, and sores that can ooze clear or yellowish fluid.
Conversely, symptoms of more serious infections can encompass diarrhea, fever, dizziness, blisters, nausea, vomiting, skin swelling, and skin that feels unusually hot.
What is the treatment?
In many cases, antibiotics are employed to treat streptococcal A infections, whether through topical creams or oral medications for wound treatment.
Mild infections usually resolve within a few days, but severe cases may require a couple of weeks to clear up.
