Invasive cases caused by strep increase, they warn about symptoms

Invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes According to the latest National Epidemiological Bulletin, the number of cases has increased since the last report, and as of November 18, there were 643 confirmed cases, with 93 (14.4%) deaths.

Health authorities and experts recommend medical consultation for symptoms such as sore throat, fever, rash, etc.

Invasive cases caused by Streptococcus increase

citizen

Strep throat appears earlier this year

“As well as panicking, it is important to remain vigilant and when symptoms such as sore throat, fever or rash occur, the best thing to do is to consult a doctor, as serious invasive forms can be prevented if treated quickly with antibiotics,” he pointed out. Martín Hojman, an infectious disease doctor and member of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases (Sadi).

Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as Streptococcus Group A (SGA), the most common bacteria that cause pharyngitis; It also causes different skin infections such as impetigo, cellulitis, and scarlet fever; However, sometimes it manifests itself in a severe form or invasive disease (SGAI), which can lead to life-threatening conditions and causes more than 500 cases worldwide every year People die.

In any case, pharyngitis is diagnosed by bacterial culture and treated with antibiotics; the treatment of choice is penicillin, which has excellent sensitivity to all strains; with this treatment, the ability to spread is eliminated after the first 24 hours , so that normal activities can be resumed. As with any infectious disease, hand hygiene and personal hygiene help control the spread.

In rare cases, infection can lead to invasive, life-threatening diseases such as necrotizing fasciitis, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, and other serious infections, as well as post-immune diseases such as poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, Acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

Don’t underestimate symptoms

“It is therefore very important to consult quickly and to treat accordingly. Therefore, we insist that it is important not to underestimate the pictures we mentioned before and not to be alarmed,” insists Hohmann.

On December 8, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that at least five Member States in the European region (France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) reported an increase in the number of cases. Cases of invasive streptococcal disease pyogenes (SGAI).

Some of these countries have also reported an increase in deaths related to the event; boys and girls under 10 years old are the most affected age group.

On December 19, 2022, the Pan American Health Organization reported cases of illness caused by Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in Uruguay, with 21 cases occurring in health centers in eight provinces of the country due to complications caused by the aggressive clinical form. Bacteria that killed eight people.

On December 22, 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an increase in childhood infections caused by group A invasive Streptococcus in some states in the country.

cases in argentina

In Argentina, from the beginning of 2023 to November 18, a total of 643 cases were reported to the surveillance system, of which 93 (14.4%) died; the cumulative incidence rate was 1.38 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the cumulative mortality rate was 0.2 per 100,000 inhabitants example.

The notification detailed that “the number of cases registered so far is the highest since 2018, when the incident was included in the national health supervision system notification.” From the end of 2022 to 2023, the case curve began to be higher than in previous years.

From EW20 (May 14) to EW39/2023 (September 30), the number of cases recorded each week ranged from 10 to 24. The curve shows a continued rise from EW40 (October 1) to SE44 (November 4), with the highest notification stating that the recorded number of cases observed to date is 48.

In terms of age distribution, it was reported that 48.7% of these invasive cases were children under 16 years old, 29% were children over 50 years old, and the median age was 17 years old; however, cases were reported in all age groups. Among the deaths, 36.6% were under 16 years old, 46.2% were over 50 years old, and the median age was 41 years old.

In this context, the National Reference Laboratory began analyzing samples from invasive cases and in 2023 detected highly virulent bacterial lineages that had been described in the UK and Denmark.

In this case, according to Hoymann, the Ministry of Health advises people that “early consultation for prompt diagnosis and avoidance of self-administration of antibiotics is very important” when symptoms appear.

Furthermore, he requested that the program be completed “when antibiotic treatment is medically indicated” because “inappropriate use of antibiotics can lead to bacterial resistance and threaten their future effectiveness.”

citizen

Medication consumption decreases during coronavirus pandemic, especially antibiotics