A DEVASTATED mum has released a heartbreaking video of her young daughter fighting for her life in a coma after being struck down by Strep A.
Sarah Page, from Sussex, had to let medics put little Eva, aged five, in an induced coma to give her the best chance of survival.
The young girl was put onto a ventilator and suffered a cardiac arrest, but was revived by doctors.
She has been in intensive care for five days.
In the video, Sarah tenderly tickles her little girl as the child lies motionless, with her favourite teddy bear perched on her shoulder.
Sarah said: "Eva had a high temperature that wouldn't go down, muscle aches and a cough.
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"I didn't think anything of it – just put it to a common cold. But by the Saturday Eva became really unwell, her temperature was spiking to 39.9 and she wouldn't eat.
"I took her to A&E where we were given antibiotics and sent home.
"That night she deteriorated very fast, and by the morning she was blue and couldn't move. We called an ambulance where we got blue-lighted to East Surrey.
"She again got worse as time went on, so they decided it would be best to put her in an induced coma."
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It comes after doctors confirmed that Stella-Lily McCorkindale from Belfast, Northern Ireland, had become the ninth child to die of the infection.
It is understood that she became unwell last week and was taken to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children where she being treated in intensive care for three days but sadly passed away on Monday night.
Her death takes the number of children known to have died from the illness – which usually only causes a mild sore throat and temperature but can be life-threatening – to nine.
These include Muhammed Ibrahim Ali, four, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and seven-year-old Hanna Roap, from Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan.
Lockdowns during the pandemic, when kids were trapped indoors, are being blamed for the outbreak.
Thankfully, Eva is now recovering in hospital.
Sarah added: "The care has been amazing and they have saved my little girl.
"She has a really long way to full recovery but everyday she is making small steps in the right direction."
HIGH ALERT: Symptoms of invasive Strep A
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) – is also known as Streptococcus pyogenes – and is a bacteria that can cause mild illnesses like sore throats and skin infections, including tonsillitis cellulitis, impetigo and scarlet fever.
In rare cases, the bacteria can trigger the life-threatening illness, invasive group A Strep disease.
Guidance from the NHS states that there are four key signs of invasive disease:
- fever (a high temperature above 38°C (100.4°F)
- severe muscle aches
- localised muscle tenderness
- redness at the site of a wound
Invasive disease happens when the bacteria break through the body's immune defences.
It can happen if you're already ill or have a weakened immune system.
Two of the most severe examples of invasive disease are necrotising fasciitis and toxic shock syndrome.
You're at increased risk of Group Strep A invasive disease if you:
- are in close contact with someone who has the disease
- are over the age of 65
- are diabetic, have heart disease or cancer
- have recently had chickenpox
- have HIV
- use some steroids or intravenous drugs, according to the NHS.
Group Strep A bacteria can also cause scarlet fever, which can be serious if it's not treated with antibiotics.
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