The latest report recorded a total of 643 confirmed infections, with 93 people dying from the disease, which is one of the leading causes of pharyngitis and presents with symptoms including fever, rash and sore throat.
According to the latest national epidemiological bulletin, cases of invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pyogenes have increased since the last report, with 643 confirmed cases recorded as of November 18, of which 93 (14.4%) died. . Health and experts recommend medical consultation for symptoms such as sore throat, fever, rash, etc.
“In addition to panicking, it is important to remain vigilant and the best thing to do when experiencing symptoms such as sore throat, fever or rash is to consult a doctor, as serious invasive forms can be prevented if treated promptly with antibiotics,” Martín Hojman, an infectious disease doctor and member of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases (SADI), told Télam.
Streptococcus pyogenes, also known as Group A Streptococcus (GAS)is the most common bacterial cause of 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) that can lead to life-threatening situation, resulting in more than 500 deaths worldwide every year.
under any circumstances 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, allowing the return to normal activities.
As with any infectious disease, Hand hygiene and personal hygiene help control the spread.
In rare cases, Infections can lead to aggressive, life-threatening conditions such as necrotizing fasciitis, strep toxic shock syndrome, and other serious infections.and postimmune diseases such as poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, acute rheumatic fever, and rheumatic heart disease.
«Therefore, it is very important to have a quick consultation and to be treated accordingly. Therefore, we maintain that it is important not to underestimate the pictures we mentioned before and not to be alarmed,” Hohmann insisted.
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 disease caused by Group A Streptococcus (GAS) in Uruguay, with 21 cases in health centers in eight provinces of the country, with complications due to an 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.
In Argentina, from the beginning of 2023 to November 18, the surveillance system received 643 case notifications, of which 93 (14.4%) died.; The cumulative incidence rate is 1.38 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and the cumulative mortality rate is 0.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
The notification details that “the number of cases registered so far is the highest since 2018, when the incident was included in the national health surveillance system notification.”
«From the end of 2022 to all of 2023, the case curve starts to be higher than in previous years. From EW20 (May 14) to EW39/2023 (September 30), cases will be recorded every week from 10 to 24 days. The SE40 (October 1) curve shows a continued rise, until SE44 (November 4) observes the highest number recorded to date, with 48 cases,” the announcement describes.
In terms of age distribution, it was reported that children under 16 years old accounted for 48.7% of these invasive cases, and children over 50 years old accounted for 29%.the median age is 17 years; however, cases have been reported in all age groups.
About death casesAmong them, 36.6% correspond to children under 16 years old, 46.2% correspond to people over 50 years old, and the median age is 41 years old.
In this context, the National Reference Laboratory began analyzing samples from invasive cases and during 2023 detected highly virulent bacterial lineages that have been described in the UK and Denmark.
In this case, according to Hojman, The Ministry of Health advises people that when symptoms occur “it is important to seek early consultation to allow for prompt diagnosis and to avoid self-administration of antibiotics.”
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.”
Source: Télam