A five-year-old child who attended a primary school in Belfast is the ninth child to die with a Strep A infection.

The pupil attended The Black Mountain Primary School, which sent a letter to parents, addressing the “tragic loss” and sending thoughts to the pupils family and friends.

The statement read: “To assist in supporting our pupils and staff at this sad time, additional trained staff from the Education Authority Critical Incident Response Team have been engaged and will be providing support to the school.

“A letter has been sent by the school to parents, informing them of our tragic loss and providing information on the support services available through school for our children during this incredibly sad time.

“We recognise that this news may cause worry amongst our school community and we want to reassure parents that we continue to work closely with the Public Health Agency at this time.”

Health authorities in Northern Ireland are yet to have commented on the death.

Typically, Strep A infections are mild and treated easily with the antibiotic amoxicillin, which is used to treat bacterial infections.