A 5-year-old boy from the UK died barely one day after being sent home from the hospital.
Before going to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, Jax Jefferys was coughing and drowsy, and then developed a fever and red rash a couple of days later.
Doctors initially diagnosed Jax with the flu and sent him home with a prescription for steroids. He died the following evening while returning to the hospital.
“They said there’s nothing they could do — just paracetamol [acetaminophen], rest,” Charlene McCormack, Jax’s mother, told a jury at Winchester Coroner’s Court, according to the BBC.
Jax had no sore throat or pus in his throat, which would have signaled a bacterial infection. He did, however, have red rashes on his head, face, neck and back — signs of streptococcus A infection, a highly contagious bacterium that causes a range of illnesses, from mild strep throat to fatal infections.
“The nurse said it could possibly be a heat rash because of his temperature, but she would pass it on to the doctor,” McCormack said. “They were never mentioned again.”
A blood test was positive for the flu — but clear of everything else — and Jax was sent home and told to come back if anything else came up in further tests.
The following evening, the boy complained he couldn’t feel his legs. On the drive back to the hospital, he began to bleed and became lifeless.
What is streptococcus A (strep A) infection?
Streptococcus A infections happen when one of the 120 strains of group A Streptococcus bacteria enters the body via the skin or throat.
While many of the illnesses caused by strep A are minor, a rare few are severe and potentially life-threatening.
Mild strep infections include strep throat, impetigo (sores and blisters that form near the mouth and nose) and Scarlet fever, an infection that causes a sore throat and rash.
More severe infections are cellulitis (an infection that targets tissues deep beneath your skin, a flesh-eating disease known as necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, or toxic infection of multiple organs.
A strep A infection can also result in long-term complications, such as rheumatic fever, or inflamed tissues in the joints and heart, and post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (kidney inflammation.)
What are the symptoms of strep A?
Symptoms can vary depending on the illness that Streptococcus A bacteria cause.
Signs of a mild infection can include trouble swallowing or pain when swallowing, headache, red spots on the roof of the mouth, stomach pain, swollen tonsils or sore throat.
If a strep A infection affects the skin, you may notice a rash on the neck or underarms, red sores on the nose, mouth, arms or legs, itchy skin and sores that leak clear or yellow fluid.
Meanwhile, symptoms of a serious infection or illness often include diarrhea, fever, dizziness, blisters, nausea, vomiting, skin swelling or skin that’s warm to the touch.
What is the treatment?
Antibiotics are often used to treat Streptococcus A infections, either as a topical cream to treat sores or an oral pill.
While symptoms of a mild infection usually resolve in a few days, more severe illnesses can take up to two weeks.
