09 February 2023
The Public Health Department is advising parents of children in the reception classes at
Grouville primary school to take up the offer of preventative treatment from group A
Streptococcal, known as ‘group A strep’, and chickenpox.
Grace Norman, Deputy Director of Public Health said: “Public Health have been notified of
both group A strep and chickenpox in the reception classes. Both are common and highly
infectious childhood illnesses, and when caught together can increase the chances of
developing a more severe infection, although this is rare.
“We are recommending a course of antibiotics for the prevention or treatment of group A
strep infection, and vaccination to protect against chickenpox for children in the affected
school year. Although no children in the school have both group A strep and chickenpox at
the same time, we are offering this precautionary measure to reduce the risk of this
happening.
“I want to provide reassurance that this is not needed for children outside of these classes
at Grouville School. The Public Health and Hospital Health Protection Team monitor
information related to infectious diseases and the team are positioned to respond quickly
if needed.
“We are working closely with the school who have been extremely proactive in making
sure that all enhanced hygiene measures are being followed to reduce the spread and are
supporting us to coordinate the delivery of these preventative measures.”
Comment from Headteacher
Nichola Turner, Headteacher at Grouville said: “The welfare of the children within our
school are always our primary priority. We have worked with our colleagues in Public
Health to adopt all recommended enhanced hygiene measures and have protocols in place
to alert us to cases in other year groups. I can confirm that at present we have no cause for
concern, and I will keep our parents updated should this situation change.”
Strep A symptons
Group A Streptococcal can cause infections such as scarlet fever or strep throat. Infections
caused by group A strep are usually mild illnesses, but they are highly infectious and
mainly affect children and young people. Symptoms to look out for include:
- A sore throat
- Headache
- Fever of 38c or more
- A fine, pinkish or red body rash with a sandpapery feel
- A red face excluding the area around the mouth, and a white or red tongue
Anyone with symptoms, should seek medical advice from their GP.
Treatment
Early treatment with antibiotics is important to reduce the risk of complications such as
pneumonia or a bloodstream infection. Anyone with scarlet fever or group A strep
infection should stay at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment
to avoid spreading the infection to others. The whole course of antibiotics should be
completed to avoid complications.
Chickenpox usually gets better by itself within a week without needing to see a GP. It
causes a rash of red, itchy spots that turn into fluid-filled blisters, which crust over to form
scabs. To prevent chickenpox spreading, children should stay away from nursery or school
until all spots have crusted over, which is usually 5 days after the spots first appeared. It is
very easy to catch chickenpox.
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