Experts told MailOnline the excess surge in Britain is partly a result of Covid restrictions that lowered children s immunity to Strep A - the bacteria that causes the illness.
Twenty-nine under-18s have died of the usually-harmless bug in England since the season kicked off. Five deaths have been recorded in Wales, two in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed 25 children in England have now died due to the usually-mild bacterial virus bringing the nation s death toll among children to 30.
The fatalities due to the usually-mild bacterial infection are the first Scotland has reported this season. It brings the UK s Strep A death toll among children to 26.