Tweet
Dec. 14, 2022, 4:02 PM CST / Updated Dec. 15, 2022, 1:23 PM CST
By Aria Bendix
Several children's hospitals in the U.S. have detected increases in invasive group A strep infections, a severe and sometimes life-threatening illness that occurs when bacteria spread to areas of the body that are normally germ-free, such as the bloodstream.
Children's hospitals in Arizona, Colorado, Texas and Washington told NBC News they are seeing higher-than-average numbers of cases this season compared to past years.
Two young children in the Denver metro area have died since Nov. 1, according to Colorado's public health department. Eleven cases of severe or invasive strep infections in children up to 6 years old have been identified in the Denver area in that time, the department added. In a typical year, Denver sees one or two such pediatric cases per month.
Dr. James Versalovic, the pathologist-in-chief at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, said his facility — the largest pediatric hospital in the U.S. — has seen "a greater than fourfold increase" in potentially invasive infections in the last two months compared to the same period last year.
Texas Children’s recorded around 60 cases in October and November, he said. ...
... The World Health Organization said Thursday that France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden are seeing cases increase as well, but that the risk to the general population is low.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meanwhile, said it is “hearing anecdotes from some U.S. doctors of a possible increase in [invasive group A strep] infections among children in the United States” and is “talking with surveillance sites and hospitals in multiple states to learn more.”
... Some people with invasive strep A may develop those conditions, as well, but in many cases the first sign is a secondary infection, like pneumonia or flesh-eating disease.
“These are cases beyond an ordinary strep throat,” Versalovic said.
An invasive infection can trigger the following:
- Lower airway infections like pneumonia or empyema, which are characterized by pockets of pus in the fluid-filled space surrounding the lungs. Early signs of such infections include fever, chills, difficulty breathing or chest pain.
- Skin infections like cellulitis or necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease. Both conditions involve red, warm, swollen or painful rashes. Necrotizing fasciitis spreads quickly and can turn into ulcers, blisters or black spots.
- Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, an immune reaction that can lead to organ failure. The condition often begins with fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea or vomiting and then causes rapid heart rate or breathing.
Comment