Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), is experiencing a surge in Japan with 2024 cases already surpassing last year's count, and an alarming report of 77 fatalities.
This gruesome disease, often linked to flesh-eating infections, has seen up to 30% mortality rate among patients. The cause behind this abrupt rise in cases, the highest since 1999, remains elusive.
In March, Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases issued an urgent notice regarding the increasing number of STSS cases. This month saw the health ministry report 1,019 cases, an unsettling increase of 78 from 2023's numbers, with a shocking tally of 77 deaths already noted.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US highlights the gravity of this infection, warning that without swift intervention it can quickly escalate into a "life-threatening emergency". According to the CDC, initial symptoms may include fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea, and vomiting, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Meanwhile, Japan's health ministry also signals swelling and pain in the limbs as potential indicators.
Symptoms and spread
A mere 24 to 48 hours post-infection could witness the onset of more menacing health issues like heightened heart rates, rapid breathing, low blood pressure, and even organ failure. Despite receiving medical treatment, STSS can prove fatal for up to 30% of victims, warns the CDC.
Transmission of the disease can occur through droplets from the mouth or nose or via contact with wounds.
Whilst anyone can potentially become the victim of STSS, there exist certain risk factors that could heighten a person's susceptibility to such bacteria. These aspects comprise an individual's age - it's predominantly observed in adults over the threshold of 65 years, open wounds or infections creating a breach in the skin as well as lifestyle and health conditions like diabetes or alcoholism.
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Origins
The origin point of the infection is traced back to toxins secreted by Group A Streptococcus. This usually culminates in a sore throat or skin infections but is also associated with necrotising infections.
A trend of increasing cases of Group A Streptococcus has been documented since the year 2022 in a range of countries including the UK, Ireland, France and Sweden.
As 2022 drew to a close, the UK confronted its own surge of Strep A, manifesting as Scarlet Fever which caused 456 deaths across England and Scotland. One expert provided an insight suggesting that this escalating figure of Strep A and its fatal impacts might be attributed to a state of "immunity debt" initiated due to the unfolding pandemic.
In a statement issued to NHK, Japan's national broadcasting organisation, Professor Ken Kikuchi from Tokyo Woman's Medical University expressed, "We can boost immunity if we are constantly exposed to bacteria. But that mechanism was absent during the coronavirus pandemic. So, more people are now susceptible to infection, and that may be one reason for the sharp rise in cases."
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