Health experts are struggling to explain the record spread of a deadly flesh-eating bacteria in Japan, one that can prove fatal within 48 hours of infection. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases has reported 977 cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) since the start of 2024, nearly three times as many as there were this time last year and with 77 confirmed deaths between January and March.
Range of diseases STSS is a "rare but serious" bacterial infection caused predominantly by microbes belonging to group A streptococcus (GAS) bacteria, said Newsweek. The pathogen itself is common, said The Telegraph, with between 5% and 20% of healthy adults having "latent symptom-free infections." Yet it can progress into a range of diseases, from tonsillitis and impetigo to scarlet fever and pneumonia, and some severe cases trigger a flesh-eating disease known as necrotizing fasciitis.Â
Treatments include antibiotics, intravenous fluids and surgery to remove the infected tissue. Even then, STSS can prove fatal, with as many as 30% of patients dying after contracting the infection. “Most of the deaths happen within 48 hours," said Ken Kikuchi, a professor of infectious diseases at Tokyo Women's Medical University.Â
Link to Covid restrictions Tokyo has been most affected by the rapid surge in STSS, with 145 cases in the first six months of 2024. The reason "remains unclear," said CNN, citing Japanese public broadcaster NHK, though one leading theory is that it's linked to Covid-19 restrictions.Â
It could be due to people's weakened immune systems following the pandemic, said Kikuchi to NHK. "We can boost immunity if we are constantly exposed to bacteria," he said. "That mechanism was absent during the coronavirus pandemic." But surges in cases are far from unusual, said Jon Cohen, an emeritus professor of infectious diseases at Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the U.K.Â
Other regions have experienced recent outbreaks, said Fortune. In late 2022, five European countries reported an increase in cases of GAS infections to the World Health Organization. |