Japan has activated a health alert throughout the country due to the spread, in record time, of a rare but dangerous bacterial infection called streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). As reported by The Guardian, health authorities expect the number of cases in 2024 to exceed last year’s record numbers, as this variant of group A strep disease is potentially serious.
“There are still many unknown factors regarding the mechanisms behind fulminant (severe and sudden) forms of streptococci, and we are not at the stage where we can explain them,” they point out from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID). In addition, the NIID has published the figures for registered cases, and during the first two months of the year 378 cases have been registered, a third less than in 2023 (941 cases).
The sector of the population most affected currently is those under 50 years of age. Compared to last year, of the 65 people under the age of 50 diagnosed with STSS between July and December 2023, regarding a third died, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reports. The origin of this disease lies in the bacteria called Streptococcus pyogeneswhich can cause sore throat, especially in children, colds, strep throat, tonsillitis, pneumonia, meningitis and in extreme cases, death, particularly in adults over 30 years of age.
Link with COVID-19
Health experts and researchers suspect that the rapid spread of this disease is due to the lifting of restrictions during the pandemic. During the month of May 2023, the government downgraded the status of COVID-19 from class two to class five, legally placing it on par with seasonal flu. This measure encouraged people not to worry as much regarding COVID, and to resort less to the widespread use of masks and hand disinfection.
“In my opinion, more than 50% of Japanese people have been infected by Sars-CoV-2. The immune status of people following recovering from Covid-19 might alter their susceptibility to some microorganisms. We need to clarify the infection cycle of severe invasive Streptococcus pyogenes diseases and control them immediately,” said Ken Kikuchi, professor of infectious diseases at Tokyo Women’s Medical University.
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Additionally, one of the similarities that COVID-19 shares with strep is the method of infection. Specifically, it is transmitted through droplets and physical contact, and can also be acquired through wounds on the hands and feet.
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