There have been no new cases of Group A Streptococcal infection identified on Sark. The total number of confirmed cases is 11 and more than 100 people have been tested. It is too early to say that this outbreak is over but most people who have been tested after developing a sore throat, fever or rash have not been found to have this infection. There are many other infections, usually caused by viruses, that can cause these symptoms.
The advice remains the same – if you develop a sore throat, fever or rash please see your doctor for assessment. A decision can then be made about testing and treatment. Viral illnesses that cause these symptoms do not require antibiotics and are resolved by the body’s immune system, which is supported by a having a healthy lifestyle. Good hand hygiene is the key to stopping the spread of any of these infections. Hand washing after coughing or sneezing is particularly important.
Many thanks again for keeping up to date with this issue.
Dr Peter Counsell
Sark school will reopen as planned on Monday 6th September. This decision follows a meeting today of Public Health and Microbiology where all the results to date were considered. There have been no further cases of Group A Streptococcus confirmed and more than 70 tests have been completed so far.
The doctor will continue to test and treat people who have symptoms suggestive of this infection. Please follow the previous advice regarding careful hand washing particularly after coughing or sneezing and come for an appointment if you develop a fever, sore throat or rash.
Many thanks again for taking the time to keep updated on this issue.
Dr Peter Counsell
The results from further analysis of this infection have shown that the first samples submitted are identical. This confirms that the infections identified in different individuals are caused by the the transmission of the same organism rather than a cluster of infections caused by different bacteria which sometimes occurs randomly.
There have been a total of 11 positive results from more than 50 samples that have been processed by the laboratory. A press release was published earlier today and the story can be read at the BBC Guernsey website here. The risk to visitors of developing this infection remains low.
Many thanks again for keeping up to date with this issue.
Peter Counsell
Sark Doctor
On the advice of Public Health in Guernsey and Microbiology in Birmingham, the restart date of the school for the Autumn term has been delayed until Monday 6th September. This will allow a few more days for outstanding results to come in concerning people who have been tested for Group A Streptococcal infection. The results will inform the decision on when the school should restart.
There have been no new cases associated with the island’s Playschool or the Yellow Brick Road activity centre. The current advice from Microbiology is that it is safe for these centres to remain open.
The majority of those people diagnosed with this infection have had mild symptoms only. All those affected are receiving treatment and are recovering well. No-one with this infection has required hospital treatment. Please see previous posts for more information.
Thank you for taking time to keep updated on this issue.
Dr Peter Counsell
No further cases of Group A Streptococcal infection have been confirmed. Visitors to Sark are welcome and the island is open for business as usual.
We are continuing to test and treat those people who have symptoms of fever, sore throat and rash. There have been a total of seven confirmed cases so far. You can find further information about group A Streptococcus here and here.
Thank you for taking the time to keep updated on this problem.
Dr Peter Counsell
Several more people have now been found to have this infection on Sark. All those people have been treated with antibiotics and are expected to make a good recovery.
If you have been given antibiotics because you or your child are suspected to have this infection, please ensure that you complete the full course and stay away from other people for the duration of the treatment. If you have been given antibiotics as a precaution against this infection but have no symptoms yourself, you do not need to be isolated but please try to keep away from people who are most vulnerable. These include the very young, elderly and people who are ill with other problems.
If you need a ‘sick note’ for your employer, please ask Fiona at the surgery for one to be completed.
Following discussion with the Public Health and Medical committees on Sark, it has been agreed that the costs of processing the screening swab test for people who are not unwell (and would not therefore have needed to be seen at the surgery) will be paid for by the government. Please pass the invoice to Fiona at the surgery.
We are continuing to follow the advice from Public Health on Guernsey and Microbiology based at Birmingham and London. Thank you for taking the time to read this information and please check back for regular updates.
Four cases of Group A Streptococcal infection have been confirmed. All those affected have been treated and are recovering well. If you or your child develop a sore throat, fever or rash please contact the surgery.
Over the weekend more people have been tested for Group A Streptococcus. We are awaiting results from the tests before we can confirm if this infection has spread further. No-one who is suspected to have become ill due to this has needed to be admitted to hospital. All those affected are receiving treatment and are recovering well.
You can reduce the risk of infection by washing your hands regularly and avoiding contact with others if you develop fever, rash or a sore throat. Please follow the links in the paragraph below for more information.
There have been two cases of confirmed Streptococcal disease affecting children on Sark in the last few weeks. This is a type of bacteria which is often found on the skin and in the throats of people who are not ill. The bacteria can cause infection in some people which is usually mild and gives symptoms such as sore throat (‘strep throat’) and itchy red skin rash with yellow crusting (impetigo). Occasionally however the infection can be more severe.
At the moment we are investigating whether this infection is now spreading on Sark and we are waiting for the results of further tests. Please see the following documents for more information here(pdf) and here(pdf).
If you are concerned that you or your child are developing the symptoms described in the leaflets, please make an appointment to see the doctor in the usual way. If necessary tests can be done and treatment started. At present there is no plan to test or treat people who have come into contact with those affected and do not live at the same address unless they become ill themselves. We are following guidance from Guernsey’s Microbiology and Public Health departments.
The second wave of Swine Flu has peaked and is now declining with most people coping well with the illness. A third wave is expected in the coming months and in preparation for this vaccination has been extended to those children between 6 months and 5 years of age. This is in response to the high rates of hospitalisation and respiratory illness in this age group. Over a quarter of all current swine flu hospitalisations are in children of a pre-school age and there have also been high rates of admission to critical care in this age group.
Please see the NHS website here for further information.
If you think that you should have been offered the vaccination because you are in an ‘at risk’ category or you are not ‘high-risk’ but would like to be on the list if sufficient supplies are available, please contact the surgery
