7-Year-Old Girl Dies From Rare Strep Infection

Health officials say a rare form of strep infection caused the death of a 7-year-old Oakley girl.

Kayla Wells, daughter of Jerry and Renee Wells, became ill Tuesday and developed difficulty breathing. She was flown to Primary Children’s Medical Center, Salt Lake City, but died the next day.

Dr. Tom Skinner of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said strep is common and usually can be controlled but turns deadly in rare cases.

He said there are millions of cases of strep infection yearly and perhaps 1,000 result in death.

“We don’t know why some people develop the more serious symptoms, while others are able to fight off the disease,” Skinner said.

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