Chroming
Chroming is a practice whereby someone inhales a chemical (various) and it can lead to injury or death.
Please read the article here to understand this emerging trend amongst young people, including (importantly) the language to look out for.
Group A Strep – What you need to know
Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common bacteria. Lots of us carry it in our throats and on our skin and it doesn’t always result in illness. However, GAS does cause a number of infections, some mild and some more serious.
The most serious infections linked to GAS come from invasive group A strep, known as iGAS.
These infections are caused by the bacteria getting into parts of the body where it is not normally found, such as the lungs or bloodstream. In rare cases an iGAS infection can be fatal.
Whilst iGAS infections are still uncommon, there has been an increase in cases this year, particularly in children under 10 and sadly, a small number of deaths.
This blog explains more about GAS and the infections it can cause, as well as how it is spread and what to look out for when your child is unwell.
GAS is spread by close contact with an infected person and can be passed on through coughs and sneezes or from a wound.
Some people can have the bacteria present in their body without feeling unwell or showing any symptoms of infections and while they can pass it on, the risk of spread is much greater when a person is unwell.
GAS causes infections in the skin, soft tissue and respiratory tract. It’s responsible for infections such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, scarlet fever, impetigo and cellulitis among others.
While infections like these can be unpleasant, they rarely become serious. When treated with antibiotics, an unwell person with a mild illness like tonsilitis stops being contagious around 24 hours after starting their medication.
We are currently seeing high numbers of scarlet fever cases.
The first signs of scarlet fever can be flu-like symptoms, including a high temperature, a sore throat and swollen neck glands (a large lump on the side of your neck).
A rash appears 12 to 48 hours later. It looks looks like small, raised bumps and starts on the chest and tummy, then spreads. The rash makes your skin feel rough, like sandpaper. The rash will be less visible on darker skin but will still feel like sandpaper. More information on scarlet fever can be found on the NHS website, including photos.
If you would like to learn more Click Here
Monkey Website and Mobile App
I have been made aware by Devon and Cornwall police, about an extremely dangerous website and app called ‘Monkey’ which allows users to have video calls with strangers. The platform markets itself as ‘an alternative to Omegle, with a TikTok vibe’ This platform has been reviewed and it has been found to contain large amounts of inappropriate, disturbing and harmful content transmitted via website cameras.
