After at least 15 deaths linked to the illness in the UK, invasive Strep A infections are on the rise according to US health officials. Invasive Strep A is a serious condition that can be fatal if the bacteria spreads to specific body organs, like the bloodstream.
Children’s hospitals across a number of states have noted an upsurge in invasive illnesses as a result of the bacteria spreading to unusual bodily areas. The CDC estimates that more than 5 million cases of non-invasive Strep A occur in the US each year. Non-invasive Strep A infections are extremely common and cause strep throat, impetigo, and scarlet fever.
Strep A Infections Rise In The US
The largest children’s hospital in the nation, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, according to pathologist-in-chief Dr. James Versalovic, reported “a greater than fourfold rise” in potentially invasive Strep A infections in the last two months compared to last year.
Microorganisms In Blood Agar
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also acknowledged that it was “hearing anecdotes from some US doctors of a possible increase in [invasive Strep A] infections among children in the United States” and stated that it was speaking with surveillance sites and hospitals in several states to find out more information.
According to the CDC, there are only 14,000 to 25,000 cases of invasive Strep A infections per year in the US. Every year, between 1,500 and 2,300 people pass away from invasive diseases. Along with strep throat and skin disorders like scarlet fever and impetigo, group A streptococci bacteria also cause strep throat.
But an invasive illness would probably be far worse. Secondary infections like pneumonia or even flesh-eating disease are indicators of an invasive Strep A infection. Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, an immunological response that can result in organ failure, can also be brought on by invasive infections. The typical list of symptoms includes fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting, followed by a rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing.
Yellow Fever
Although anybody can contract the invasive infection, persons over 65 and those with chronic conditions are most likely to do so. Although the CDC said that the lifting of Covid restrictions and the rise in respiratory diseases including the flu, Covid, and RSV may be to blame, it is unclear why hospitals are reporting an increase in visits from children in particular.
A third of kids with invasive Strep A infections in the UK were found to have had another respiratory illness, according to officials there. Professor Susan Hopkins, the UKHSA’s senior medical adviser, said the following during a Royal Society of Medicine-sponsored webcast for physicians on Strep A: “We are currently delving further into those [patients] that have been more seriously ill.
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“For instance, we are aware that one respiratory virus was also found at the same time as one-third of the invasive cases. This suggests that the bacteria may be more likely to enter the lungs if respiratory viruses are also present, but for the time being, that is just a hypothesis.
Since mid-September, at least 15 kids have passed away in the UK due to invasive Strep A. According to UKHSA, early in the year, instances typically increase, but they have recently increased. The previous time similar numbers of instances increased, 27 children died, between 2017 and 2018. In the previous two years, invasive Strep A infections have increased across the board in the United States, according to the CDC.
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