A MUM has shared photos of her little boy in order to help other parents avoid the agony she has experienced.
Ryan Lines started to struggle with a runny nose back in December.
The one-year-old developed a temperature before his symptoms then escalated into septic shock, caused by the Strep A bacteria.
His mum, who goes by Jessica Carnie on Instagram, first shared her story with the Tiny Hearts Education page to alert other parents to the symptoms.
Now, she has revealed that after over 60 days in hospital, her little boy has had surgery to amputate both his legs below the knee.
The family are now also preparing for Ryan to have more surgeries to remove his fingertips.
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Posting to Instagram she said: "One surgery down, one to go.
"Ryan is recovering from his below the knee amputations, thank you for all the love we honestly have no words."
CEO of Tiny Hearts, Nikki Jurcutz, who is based in Australia previously thanked the 'incredible mum' for sharing the photos.
"She’s been incredibly selfless and wanted to raise awareness and help keep your little ones safe."
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It comes as at least 36 children across the UK have died of invasive Group Strep A this winter – a serious illness where the bacteria gets into the blood stream.
In rare cases, it can trigger serious illnesses including pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis.
In little Ryan's case, his infection quickly turned into sepsis and caused him to go into septic shock, multiple organ dysfunction and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC).
What are the symptoms of invasive group Strep A disease?
There are four key signs of Group Strep A to watch out for, according to the NHS. These are:
- A fever (meaning a high temperature above 38°C)
- Severe muscle aches
- Localised muscle tenderness
- Redness at the site of a wound
The invasive version of the disease happens when the bacteria break through the body's immune defences.
This can happen if you're already feeling unwell or have an immune system that’s weakened.
Medics said he was lucky to have survived.
The family is based in Broken Hill, but due to the severity of Ryan's illness, they were flown to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide – which is over 500km away.
They have now set up a GoFundMe page to help with costs as they have not yet returned home.
CEO of Tiny Hearts, Nikki said that as a first aider, she's had lots of questions about the rise in cases of Strep A.
"Strep A is common and usually mild. It becomes very dangerous when the bacteria invades a part of the body such as the blood, brain or heart, like it did with Ryan," she said.
The expert explained that a fever with other red flag symptoms such as severe muscle aches or tenderness should all 'set alarm bells off'.
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She added: "Look at the number on your thermometer and then assess your child for any critical signs present.
"Being educated about red flags is essential for every parent. The earlier you can identify the signs, the better chance you give your child."
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