Are vaccines available for Strep A and scarlet fever?

At least 24 children have died with an invasive form of Strep A in recent weeks, while cases of scarlet fever, which is caused by the bacterial infection, have soared.

The bacteria, Streptococcus pyogenes, can linger in the throat and on the skin and cause many different illnesses if transmitted through sneezing or physical contact, including impetigo, scarlet fever and strep throat.

While the vast majority of infections prove relatively mild, the bacteria can also sometimes cause a life-threatening illness known as invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) disease.

Symptoms include high fever, severe muscle aches, localised muscle tenderness and redness at the site of a wound.

Families with concerns have been advised to contact their GP or call NHS 111 if their child falls ill or feels unwell, to keep them off school until they are better, to practise good hand hygiene and use tissues to shield coughs and colds.

There is no vaccine to guard against Strep A or scarlet fever, although in the former case, several have reportedly been through early-stage clinical trials and research into the matter has been ongoing since the 1940s.

Previously speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, Professor Adam Finn, of the University of Bristol, said Strep A had been neglected in terms of vaccine development.

“We don’t see so much of it as we did historically [but] it’s something that we do see quite frequently in little bursts as the years go by,” he said.

“There is a desperate need to make a vaccine against this bug. It’s a very neglected bug, it causes a lot of problems, the most notable of which is rheumatic fever, which is a problem in many children in poor countries.”

Antibiotics are usually the first line of defence against Strep A infections, and despite early pushback from the government over fears the UK was facing a supply issue, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) this week issued two waves of emergency rule changes to help alleviate pressure on pharmacies with limited stocks.

The new Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) are intended to help mitigate the local supply issues affecting medicine stocks, and will allow pharmacists to supply alternative forms of the medicine from that stated on the prescription.

In a statement earlier this month, the DHSC said: “Demand for penicillin has risen recently as it is used to treat Strep A and scarlet fever, and the increased demand means that some pharmacists are experiencing temporary and localised supply issues and may not have the specific formulation listed on the prescription.”

SSPs are intended to help mitigate the local supply issues affecting stocks of oral penicillin, and will allow pharmacists to supply alternative forms of the medicine from that stated on the prescription.

You can find out more about Strep A on the UKHSA blog and about scarlet fever on the NHS website.