HEALTH bosses have remained tight-lipped on when the outbreak of a deadly infection will officially be declared over.

The Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group has confirmed there have been no new cases of invasive group A streptococcus in the area since mid August.

A total of 12 people died after contracting the infection last year, while a further three historical deaths were also linked to the outbreak.

Dozens of other residents in mid Essex also received treatment after contracting the infection, with many of those affected living in the Braintree area.

Despite more than five months now passing since the last confirmed case in mid Essex, the CCG says precautions will continue to be taken by nursing teams until health bosses give the all clear.

A spokesman said: “Public Health England continue to monitor the outbreak and will advise the incident management team when they feel the outbreak can be formally closed.

“Control measures remain in place presently and are reviewed on a regular basis by the incident management team.”

Many of those who contracted the infection were understood to be elderly people receiving care for chronic wounds in their own homes or in care homes. To tackle the outbreak, community nurses in Braintree were given antibiotics as a precaution, while a deep clean of their stations was also undertaken.

The CCG is continuing to investigate the cause of the outbreak along with the help of Public Health England, Provide, NHS England and NHS Improvement. The results of the investigation are expected to be announced in March.

Public Health England said it was unable to provide an update on the outbreak due to a planned meeting with the CCG on Tuesday.