My daughter, 7, died of Strep A & now I’m warning parents as I think she could still be alive if given right treatment
A BROKEN dad who lost his seven-year-old daughter to Strep A thinks she would still be alive if given the right treatment.
Little Hanna Roap died within 24-hours of falling ill with the rare invasive disease which has killed eight kids in the UK this year.
Hanna’s condition began with just a mild cough at her primary school in Wales before she deteriorated and tragically died.
Her “traumatised” dad Hassan told the BBC: “We’re just numb.
“She was a bubbly character who was always up to mischief and it is dead silence now in the house.”
Hanna came home from school on Thursday November 24 with a cough that got progressively worse.
Her parents gave her an antihistamine and her inhaler hoping it would help her sleep but by morning she was at the GP’s and given steroids.
Hanna stopped moving at around 8pm that evening and Hassan, who charged home from work, was unable to save her through CPR.
Medics raced to the family home in Penarth, Cardiff, but within 30 minutes the little girl was pronounced dead.
Hassan, 37, said his wife Salah and their other daughter’s hearts have “broken into a million pieces”.
The dad, who has no medical experience, now thinks that if the GP had instead given Hanna antibiotics, she would still be alive.
“I just want peace of mind that everything was done correctly. If it was, then I can’t blame anyone”, he added.
Dr Rowena Christmas, who chairs the Royal College of GPs in Wales, told the BBC medics are “careful” not to prescribe too many antibiotics fearing resistant strains of bacteria.
A review of unexpected death in childhood will take place into Hanna’s case.
Invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAs) disease is a bacteria sometimes found in the throat on the skin.
It is incredibly rare but can cause life threatening illness and can be contagious.
Almost all eight kids that have died of Strep A were primary school age.
They include Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, four, from High Wycombe, Bucks and a youngster at a primary school in Waterlooville, Hampshire.
The lockdown is being blamed for the outbreak because children were shuttered away — creating a lower immunity to infections.
Most people who contract the disease remain symptom free, but those that don’t can develop throat and skin infections.
Scarlet fever, which presents as a high temperature, sore throat, rash and swollen neck glands, is also a symptom.
A nasty sunburn-type rash that feels like sandpaper is also a stand out symptom.
The four signs of Strep A you need to know
There are four key signs of Group Strep A to watch out for, according to the NHS. These are:
- A fever (meaning a high temperature above 38°C)
- Severe muscle aches
- Localised muscle tenderness
- Redness at the site of a wound
STREP A ADVICE
Contact NHS 111 or your GP if:
- Your child is getting worse.
- Your child is feeding or eating much less than normal
- Your child has had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more or shows other signs of dehydration
- Your baby is under three months old and has a temperature of 38°C, or is older than three months and has a temperature of 39°C or higher.
- Your baby feels hotter than usual when you touch their back or chest, or feels sweaty.
- Your child is very tired or irritable.
Call 999 or go to A&E if:
- Your child is having difficulty breathing – you may notice grunting noises or their tummy sucking under their ribs
- There are pauses when your child breathes
- Your child’s skin, tongue or lips are blue
- Your child is floppy and will not wake up or stay awake
Source: NHS