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Less mixing between children due to the pandemic could have caused a drop in immunity to infections such as Strep A, a leading expert has suggested.

Six children have died in the UK after being found to have the bacterial infection and there have been more cases than normal this year.

Most Strep A cases are relatively mild and cause scarlet fever with symptoms such as a sore throat and a rash – which can be routinely treated with antibiotics.

However, the bacteria can sometimes get into the bloodstream or other parts of the body and become “invasive” and life threatening.

Microbiologist Dr Simon Clarke, from the University of Reading, said he wasn’t aware of any evidence of a new strain but suggested the COVID pandemic might have contributed to an increase in cases.

“It strikes me that as we are seeing with flu at the moment, lack of mixing in kids may have caused a drop in population-wide immunity that could increase transmission, particularly in school age children,” said Dr Clarke.

He said the cases didn’t appear to be linked – they are not clustered around any one area – but he believes “further cases over the coming weeks and months” are likely.

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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed on Friday that invasive Strep A cases (known as iGAS) have increased this year.

The rate for this year is 2.3 cases per 100,000 children aged one to four, compared with an average of 0.5 in the pre-pandemic seasons (2017 to 2019).

Among five to nine-year-olds it’s 1.1 cases per 100,000 children, compared with the pre-pandemic average of 0.3.

Strep A is common and generally causes mild infections – so why the spate of deaths now?

Another death of a young child from Strep A will send a chill down the spine of any parent.

So what is the risk and why the spate of deaths now?

Group A streptococcus is a common bacterium that generally causes relatively mild infections, such as sore throats.

Only rarely does the bug get into the bloodstream or some other place in the body where it isn’t normally found, multiply rapidly and cause more serious problems.

Doctors call it invasive Group A Strep, or iGAS, and that seems to be what has resulted in these deaths.

There are different strains of Strep A, and some are more likely to cause serious disease.

We don’t know yet whether a particular strain is involved in these deaths.

But this isn’t a geographic cluster; the children lived far apart. So it’s not a bug that was passed from one to another.

It’s more likely that the common link is that the children didn’t get antibiotics in time.

Read more of Thomas Moore’s analysis here

Read more:
What is Strep A and what are the symptoms?

Strep A is common – so why the spate of deaths now?

The UKHSA also said there was no evidence of a new strain and that the increase is “most likely related to high amounts of circulating bacteria and social mixing”.

It said five children in England had so far died this season within a week of invasive Strep A, while one child has also died in Wales.

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Strep A: Parents to be ‘vigilant’

During the last high season (2017-2018), it said there were four deaths in England in the equivalent period.

Four-year-old Muhammad Ibrahim Ali, from High Wycombe, is one of the victims. He was described as a “wonderful, kind, smiley and energetic boy” on a JustGiving page set up in his memory.

Muhammad Ibrahim Ali
Pic:JustGiving
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Muhammad Ibrahim Ali died following a Strep A infection. Pic: JustGiving

It was also confirmed on Friday that a child from Ealing in west London had died.

Dr Yimmy Chow, from the UKHSA, said: “We are extremely saddened to hear about the death of a child at St John’s Primary School, and our thoughts are with their family, friends and the school community.

“Working with Ealing Council public health team, we have provided precautionary advice to the school community to help prevent further cases and we continue to monitor the situation closely.”

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Strep A outbreak in charts

A pupil at a primary school near Cardiff has also died from the infection, as well as a six-year-old in Surrey.

Meanwhile, the father of a four-year-old girl receiving critical care in hospital told Sky News he’s “praying for a miracle”.

Dean Burns’s daughter, Camila Rose Burns, has been fighting for her life at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool since Monday after she contracted the infection.

“She’s still nowhere near out of the woods, she’s really, really poorly,” he said.

Camila Rose Burns
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Camila Rose Burns is fighting for her life in a Liverpool hospital

Parents are advised to contact their GP or call 111 to get suspected scarlet fever cases treated quickly with antibiotics to limit its spread and reduce the risk of any complications.

It comes as the NHS also said children should be given a flu vaccination before Christmas following a surge in serious cases among under-fives.

Flu hospitalisations in young children are nearly 20 times as high as last year, figures suggest. This week, 230 under-fives were hospitalised, compared with just 12 at the same time last year.

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Woman who died after she was attacked by a dog in Bristol named as Morgan Dorsett

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Woman who died after she was attacked by a dog in Bristol named as Morgan Dorsett

The 19-year-old woman who died after she was attacked by a dog at a flat in Bristol on Wednesday has been named as Morgan Dorsett from Shropshire.

Two people – a man and a woman both aged in their 20s – have been arrested over the attack and have been released on conditional bail.

Initial reports suggested the dog may be an XL bully, but confirming the breed will form part of the police assessment process, according to Avon and Somerset Police.

It was sedated and seized by officers.

Pic: PA
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An XL bully. File pic: PA

Ms Dorsett’s family thanked the public for their support and those who have left flowers near the scene.

Officers were called to an incident in the Hartcliffe area of Bristol at 7.19pm on Wednesday.

Paramedics and police officers attended but Ms Dorsett died at the scene.

Morgan Dorsett, 19. Pic: Avon and Somerset Police
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Ms Dorsett. Pic: Avon and Somerset Police

On Thursday, Inspector Terry Murphy said: “Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the family of the young woman who’s tragically died as a result of yesterday evening’s incident. They have been updated and will be supported by a family liaison officer.

“I’d also like to thank the officers and paramedics who attended yesterday evening and tried to save her life. Support is in place for them.

“A full investigation is now well under way to establish the full circumstances of the events that led to her death.”

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A general view of floral tributes left near the scene on Cobhorn Drive, Hartcliffe, Bristol, where a 19-year-old woman died after she was attacked by a dog on Wednesday night. A man and a woman, both aged in their 20s, have been arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death and possession of a prohibited breed of dog, as the dog responsible for the attack is believed to have been an XL bully. Picture date: Thursday February 27, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story POLICE Dog. Photo credit should read: Rod Minchin/PA Wire
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Flowers left near the scene. Pic: PA

A neighbour also paid tribute to Ms Dorsett, saying she “seemed a lovely girl” and had only lived in the property for a few weeks.

“I was up all night awake trying to process this,” the neighbour, who did not want to be named, said.

“I am shocked. I just can’t believe it’s happened and she hasn’t been there that long.”

The neighbour said she had seen the dog on a lead with its owner and was certain it was an XL bully.

“I do feel so sad for the dog owner,” she said.

“She did mention the dog wasn’t great with men, fine with women and children.

“I feel for her so, so much. It wasn’t her fault.”

She added: “I genuinely feel that this was one of those freak accidents and wasn’t her fault – that’s how I feel.”

In February 2024 it became a criminal offence to own the XL bully breed in England and Wales without an exemption certificate.

Anyone owning one of the dogs must have had the animal neutered, microchipped, and kept muzzled and on a lead in public, among other restrictions.

The government move to ban the breed followed a series of attacks on people and other dogs.

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Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson cleared of coercive control and assault allegations related to his wife

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Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson cleared of coercive control and assault allegations related to his wife

Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson has been cleared of coercive control and assault allegations relating to his wife.

The 46-year-old was accused of being violent towards Rebecca Hanson over an eight-year period.

The charges were brought after he was arrested in June 2023.

The TV auctioneer, from Mackworth, Derby, denied controlling or coercive behaviour spanning from 2015 to 2023, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and assault by beating. The two assault charges related to incidents in 2015 and 2023.

During the trial, Hanson claimed his wife had controlled him. He told the court he was “almost a slave” to her, saying she left him “a beaten and broken man” by controlling him and making him subservient towards her.

She had claimed her husband was violent towards her and put her in a headlock in 2012, while she pregnant with a baby she later lost.

Mrs Hanson also alleged her husband repeatedly “grabbed” her, scratched her as she tried to snatch a mobile phone and pushed her twice during a row.

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Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson outside Derby Crown Court, Picture date: Friday February 28, 2025. Pic: PA
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Hanson outside the court with his parents today. Pic: PA

The auctioneer told the court his wife was allowed “to do what she wanted” but had experienced “moments and episodes” including one which saw her claim his legs being crossed amounted to abuse.

Jurors deliberated for around four and a half hours before delivering not guilty verdicts on all charges.

As the verdicts were returned, Hanson smiled at his parents, who were sat in the front row of the public gallery at Derby Crown Court, and gave them a thumbs-up.

After thanking the jurors for their care in considering the case, Judge Martin Hurst told Hanson: “You have been found not guilty. That is the end of the case. You will hear no more about it and you are free to go.”

The TV star’s parents wept and hugged their son after he was discharged from the dock.

Hanson ‘relieved this is all over’

Bargain Hunt auctioneer Charles Hanson speaks to media outside Derby Crown Court, Picture date: Friday February 28, 2025. Jacob King/PA Wire
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Hanson speaks to media after the verdict. Pic: PA

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Hanson said: “I’m delighted that after a year and a half the truth has finally come out.

“I can finally live my life again. I feel this burden has finally been lifted.”

Read more from Sky News:
Woman who died after dog attack named

Arrests over AI-generated child abuse images

“It has been a tormentuous time and all I want now is to readjust to what has been such an ordeal,” he continued. “I am so relieved that this is all over.”

As well as regularly featuring on Bargain Hunt, Hanson has appeared on Flog It! and Antiques Road Trip.

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‘Monster’ who fatally beat chef near Notting Hill Carnival jailed for life

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'Monster' who fatally beat chef near Notting Hill Carnival jailed for life

A self-described “monster” who beat a top chef to death near Notting Hill Carnival has been jailed for life.

Omar Wilson repeatedly punched and kicked Mussie Imnetu during an altercation outside a restaurant in Queensway, west London, on 26 August last year.

Wilson, 31, then left the scene to go clubbing.

Mr Imnetu, 41, who worked under star chefs Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, died in hospital four days later, without regaining consciousness.

Mussie Imnetu. Pic: Metropolitan Police
Image:
Mussie Imnetu. Pic: Metropolitan Police

Sentencing Wilson to a minimum 18 years, Judge Philip Katz said Mr Imnetu’s “brutal” killing was “abhorrent”.

“Mussie and those who loved him are the victims in this case and the impact on them of his murder has been severe,” he said.

“Mussie was defenceless on the ground when you punched and kicked him to death.”

He continued: “You could not control your temper. Only a few seconds after punches were aimed by both of you you tripped Mussie and he fell to the ground and you could have walked away.

“As he knelt you rained further punches down on his head. You could have walked away.

“However, you stood up, raised your leg and kicked him hard to the head. Kicking someone to the head when they are defenceless on the ground is abhorrent.”

CCTV footage of Omar Wilson at a security point after the assault. Pic: Metropolitan Police
Image:
CCTV footage of Omar Wilson at a security point after the assault. Pic: Metropolitan Police

Mr Imnetu’s wife, Linda, described her husband as “respected, admired and loved” in a pre-recorded victim impact statement played in court.

“Mussie didn’t just leave behind a legacy for his family, he left an indelible mark on his workplace and community,” she said.

“Nothing can undo what has been taken from us. I ask the court to remember the man Mussie was: his character, his integrity and the life he built; not just the circumstances of his passing.”

An audio recording of Mr Imnetu’s six-year-old son wishing his “daddy” goodbye was also played in court, which the judge called “heart-rending”.

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CCTV footage was played in court during the trial showing Wilson approaching Mr Imnetu and headbutting him.

Around a minute later, Wilson punched Mr Imnetu five times in the head, continued to repeatedly punch him while he was on his hands and knees, and then kicked him in the head.

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Wilson of Napier Road, east London, told the Old Bailey he was acting in self defence, telling jurors: “I just regret that somebody’s life was taken while I was trying to defend mine.”

He claimed Mr Imnetu had a broken bottle – something Judge Katz described as “a deliberate lie”.

The court heard after the attack that Wilson had told an associate he “crossed the line”.

In a message, he said: “There’s a monster in me, man, and it’s just like sometimes it comes out.

“And I think I’ve messed up now, I’ve messed up, everything’s finished.”

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