A three-year-old boy died suddenly of a strep A infection without showing any symptoms of the disease.
- Theo Emm, 3, died of a strep A infection without showing any symptoms.
- He suffered a cardiac arrest while watching TV.
- Parents call for vigilance in the face of this infection.
3-year-old Theo Emm died suddenly on February 18, 2023 at home while watching cartoons. It turned out that he had contracted a strep A infection without showing any symptoms of the disease. The British boy’s parents want to warn against this “silent killer”.
Streptococcus A: the little boy did not seem sick
Cases of streptococcal A infections have been increasing for several months in Europe. But Theo Emm’s parents never suspected he had contracted it. The day before his death, the family had noticed that he was “a little lethargic”. But faced with his good mood and the absence of other symptoms such as a fever or a cough, his lack of energy did not alert.
His uncle Chris explained to the Sun : “when he woke up on Saturday morning he wanted to watch the cartoons on TV, so he was carried downstairs”. In front of the TV, the little boy began to show signs of distress.
“Billy and Jody (his parents, editor’s note) decided to call the emergency services and while they were on the phone, Theo collapsed following a cardiac arrest”he added.
Paramedics arrived a few minutes later. They tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him using life-saving gestures. The baby boy died just a week after the birth of his brother Oliver.
Chris said: “They’re still trying to figure out what happened, but having a new kid helps a lot.”
The family mobilizes to warn against strep A
Theo’s family are calling on the general public to be mindful of Strep A. Unable to speak in the press, the little boy’s parents asked Chris to tell their story. “They told me that they want more than anything to raise awareness and not for people to think it’s a sad story and to feel sorry for them”, said the uncle.
“This type of illness in children is often referred to as a ‘silent killer’ and it is very rare for them to die from it. In Theo’s case, there were no symptoms. He just collapsed on Saturday morning and died”he added.
Strep A is most often responsible for mild, non-invasive infections, such as angina and impetigo. However, the virus is also likely to cause serious invasive infections: bacteraemia, necrotizing skin infections, puerperal infections, meningitis, etc. These can be associated with streptococcal toxic shock syndrome.
The most common symptoms are severe sore throat, difficulty swallowing, swollen glands or even a fever…
“The mortality rate of invasive streptococcal A infections is estimated at around 10%, all pathologies combined”indicates the Institut Pasteur on its website.
