The resurgence of strep A infections is cause for concern. According to the WHO, at least five European countries have reported an unusual increase in cases of invasive strep A infections. Although this bacterium is usually benign, it can be responsible for serious cases, such as scarlet fever, which mainly affects children.
However, the UN organization wants to be reassuring. She believes that the risk of invasive infections in the general population is “currently low.” To affirm this, the WHO affirms in particular that the increase in cases is “moderate” and that it has not identified the appearance of a more virulent strain.
13 deaths in the UK
However, the monitoring continues. In France, the General Directorate of Health has reported the death of two children and one adult due to an “invasive infection” by streptococcus A while health professionals have reported an “unusual increase in the number of cases”, according to the WHO.
It is on the other side of the Channel where the situation worries the most. In the UK, since the start of the winter season, health authorities have recorded 13 deaths from an “invasive infection” by strep A. “This figure is comparable to the four deaths that occurred during the same period from 2017 to 2018 (before the pandemic) ”, details the WHO.
According to the organization, “this situation occurs in the context of greater mixing of populations after a period of reduced circulation of group A streptococci during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
500,000 deaths a year worldwide
the Streptococcus A is a category of bacteria present in our body, precisely in the throat and on the skin, without necessarily being pathogenic. When it is not mild, it can cause various infections such as angina or impetigo.
In addition, it can be responsible for many “invasive infections” that can be serious, such as scarlet fever, which mainly affects children during the winter period. It is responsible for more than 500,000 deaths a year worldwide, according to the WHO. This disease rarely affects adults, most of the time already immunized, call health insurance.
The health authorities insist on the importance of barrier gestures to reduce the risk of transmission and contagion.
Source: BFM TV
