According to official statistics, the number of cases of a potentially fatal bacterial illness in Japan has risen to all-time highs. Scientists are still unsure of the cause of this increase.
With a 30% fatality rate, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) has 977 cases reported to Japan’s Health Ministry as of June 2. According to the most recent data available, the virus claimed the lives of about 77 persons between January and March.STSS is a rare but serious bacterial infection that can develop when bacteria spread into deep tissues and the bloodstream. Patients initially suffer from fever, muscle pain and vomiting but symptoms can quickly turn life threatening with low blood pressure, swelling, and multiple organ failure as the body goes into shock.
“Even with treatment, STSS can be deadly. Out of 10 people with STSS, as many as three people will die from the infection,” according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Most STSS cases are caused by the group A streptococcus (GAS) bacteria, which mainly produces fever and throat infections in children. In rare circumstances, strep A can become invasive when bacterium produces a toxin that enables it to gain access to the bloodstream, causing serious illnesses such as toxic shock.
Strep A can also cause “flesh-eating” necrotizing fasciitis, which can lead to loss of limbs. However, most patients who contract that disease have other health factors that may lower their body’s ability to fight infections, such as cancer or diabetes, according to the CDC.Invasive group A strep infections were largely curbed by Covid-19 controls, such as masking and social distancing, but after those measures were relaxed many countries reported a rise in cases.In December 2022, five European countries reported to the World Health Organization an increase in invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS), with children under 10 the most impacted. The CDC said it was also investigating an apparent increase in the disease at the time.
In March, Japanese authorities warned of a jump in STSS cases. Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases released a risk assessment saying the number of STSS cases caused by iGAS “has increased since July 2023, especially among those under 50 years of age.”The CDC says older people with an open wound are at increased risk of contracting STSS, including those who have recently had surgery.“However, experts don’t know how the bacteria got into the body for nearly half of people who get STSS,” the CDC said on its website.The reason for this year’s rise in cases of STSS in Japan remains unclear, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.Professor Ken Kikuchi, of Tokyo Women’s Medical University, told NHK the rise could be due to people’s weakened immune systems following Covid.
Source: Here