STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
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05 Sept 2025
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05 Sept 2025
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There has been a reported increase in Strep A cases in under-18s, according to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC).
According to the organisation, Ireland has experienced an 'unusual upsurge' in invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) disease, particularly in children under 18 years.
The HSPC said that data from 2023 indicates that the number of Strep A cases are 4.5-times higher than expected.
A total of 354 cases were recorded in the first six months of the year compared with an average of 78 cases for the equivalent period during the pre-pandemic years of 2017-2019.
In addition, between October 2, 2022 and August 26, 2023, a total of 480 cases of iGAS were notified in Ireland.
Similar increases in Strep A activity have been reported in other European countries, including Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The HSPC said this could be explained as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, when normal social mixing patterns were interrupted, which lead to changes in transmission of diseases, such as Strep A.
It added that of the 480 cases, 189 (39 per cent) were aged under 18 years; and that 166 were aged between 0-9 years.
The full report can be read here.
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