Off the wire
• Xinhua Insight: China's cross-border e-commerce bids farewell to "tax-free" age  • China encourages combination of healthcare, eldercare services  • Chinese-sponsored equipment for ASEAN summit handed over to Laos  • Roundup: Implementation of EU-Turkey migrant deal moves forward  • Weather forecast for world cities -- April 8  • 3 endangered finless porpoises found dead in E China lake  • Nirvana in Fire team to screen drama on career women  • Global Fund gives Burkina Faso over 100 mln euros to fight AIDS, malaria  • Weather forecast for major Chinese cities, regions -- April 8  • Investigators say FlyDubai passenger jet crash caused by bad weather  
You are here: 　 Home

Scarlet fever at highest level in decades across England: health watchdog

Xinhua, April 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

England has recorded the highest weekly toll of Scarlet fever cases seen in decades, Public Health England reported Friday.

The fever has hit its peak season, resulting in the high number of notifications, PHE added.

The government health agency has reported a continued increase in cases of scarlet fever across England with 1,319 new cases between March 21-27, the highest weekly total recorded in recent decades.

Since last September there have been a total of 10,570 cases of scarlet fever reported in England.

An increase in invasive disease caused by the same bacterium group A streptococcus (GAS) which causes scarlet fever has also been seen in England.

A total of 593 cases of invasive GAS infection, such and bloodstream infection or pneumonia, have been notified so far for 2016 compared to 440 cases for the same period last year (January to March). This year GAS seasonal activity has coincided with the seasonal influenza activity owing to the late flu season.

This is the third season in a row in which elevated scarlet fever activity has been noted. A total of 15,637 notifications were made in England and Wales in 2014, rising to 17,590 in 2015. Weekly activity so far this season has been similar or slightly above for that last year.

"As we reach peak season for scarlet fever, health practitioners should be particular mindful of the current high levels of scarlet fever when assessing patients," said Dr Theresa Lamagni, PHE's head of streptococcal infection surveillance.

Between September and March, Yorkshire and Humberside reported the highest number of cases, 1,361, slightly lower than the same period last year. But in most other regions of England the numbers have risen. London, with the second highest total, had 1,006 cases in the same period, compared to 876 in the corresponding period a year ago. Endit