A six-year-old Nova Scotia boy has passed away after contracting an aggressive form of strep.
The family of Jaydon Davis is speaking out with the hope of preventing a similar tragedy.
His father, Randy Davis, said when Jaydon first fell sick with a fever they were hesitant to take him to the emergency room due to concerns about long waits.
“It seemed to be a normal fever,” he said. Instead, they set up a virtual doctor’s appointment through the family’s private health plan and Jaydon was prescribed a puffer for his cough.
Randy said within 48 hours of developing symptoms, his son passed away on March 6.
The family later learned he had contracted an aggressive form of strep known as invasive group A streptococcal disease (iGAS).
In a phone interview with Global News, Randy said he’s raising his voice to encourage other parents not to hesitate and to head to the ER and get tested for the rare disease, even if their child is only presenting with a fever.
“It will never not be worth it to find out,” he said.
No outbreaks connected to school case, says Nova Scotia Health
Nova Scotia Health (NSH) says close contacts have been identified and offered antibiotics. A letter was also sent home to Jaydon’s classmates at Admiral Westphal Elementary School in Dartmouth warning of potential exposure.
“As there have been no additional cases connected to this individual, this is not considered an outbreak,” said NSH spokesperson Jennifer Lewandowski in a statement.
However, the province has seen an increase in positive cases of invasive group A strep when compared to 2022 rates and pre-pandemic years.
Cases have also been rising across the country.
“Invasive group A streptococcal disease is a rare disease but every year there are cases in Nova Scotia,” the statement said.
“Most cases are single ‘sporadic’ cases. Group A strep can cause common infections such as strep throat and skin infections. Rarely the infection is severe, and can result in blood infections, pneumonia requiring intensive care, or it can cause necrotizing fasciitis (flesh eating disease).”
There were five deaths in Nova Scotia last year — all over the age of 55. Illness rates are highest among children under 5 and adults 65 and up.
Randy credits the “amazing” support of the community for helping his family get through this difficult time, and he says he just wants to keep other families safe from the potentially devastating consequences of the disease.
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