A Cluster of Paediatric Invasive Group A Streptococcal and Chicken Pox Infections.

An increase in invasive group A streptococcus (GAS) cases referred to the paediatric infectious disease (PID) department of the Children's University Hospital (CUH), Temple Street, prompted review of all invasive GAS cases in 2016. All of the 10 cases identified occurred over a 16-week period from February to June, of which 6 (60%) required admission to the paediatric intensive care unit. The median length of stay was 21.5 days. Seven had active chickenpox infection at diagnosis. This study highlights the significant morbidity of invasive GAS in children in Ireland. Most cases were associated with a vaccine preventable illness, which should prompt reappraisal of the absence of varicella vaccine from the national immunisation schedule in Ireland.