A mother calls for vigilance after her six-year-old daughter was hospitalized with a serious strep infection, cases of which are rising and contributing to overcrowding in children’s emergency rooms as the holiday season approaches.
“Don’t hesitate to seek counseling if you see your child doing really badly. 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 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 fortunate: Covered with red spots, the fever hadn’t gone away after 48 hours. She had to be taken by ambulance to Montreal Children’s Hospital, where she was hospitalized for three days and placed in an induced coma.
More prone to errors
In recent weeks, Quebec and at least five European countries have reported increases in cases of invasive group A streptococcal infections.
Photo provided by MUHC
Christos Karatzios, doctor
“We are in a post-pandemic phase. For two years now, the population has not been exposed to all possible viruses and bacteria such as influenza and streptococcus A, and there is a kind of catching up to do,” explains Dr. Karl Weiss, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montréal.
“We have more cases and it’s mathematical, the more cases we have, the more severe and invasive infections we have,” he points out.
Following COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, it’s the turn of influenza and streptococcus A to wreak havoc on pediatric emergencies despite a relative lull in recent days.
“It’s hell,” says Dr. Christos Karatzios, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Montreal Children’s Hospital, whose emergency room is still operating at almost full capacity, with 11 of the 12 beds full. Ten days ago, young patients even had to be moved upstairs for reasons of space.
superinfection
Christos Karatzios explains that streptococcus A can cause bacterial superinfection after a child catches the flu, leading to complications such as tracheal infections and very serious pneumonia.
“We see children [sans] no breathing problems being hospitalized because they need oxygen. Little babies almost drown in their secretions,” he sighs.
As the holidays approach, experts are urging people to get the flu shot, wash their hands regularly, wear a mask in crowded places and avoid gatherings if sick.
What is streptococcus?
It is a common bacterium 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 such as scarlet fever
Serious Symptoms
- Fever
- Significant discomfort
- pain at the infected site
- Redness can quickly spread to the infected area
Complications:
- lung infection
- meat-eating bacteria
- toxic shock
Source: DRPS
When to consult?
If, after recovering from the flu, the child has a fever again and it is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, a rash or red eyes. It’s no longer time to give him Tylenol and wait until the next morning, you need to seek advice right away, 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.
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