Infections caused by flesh-eating bacteria spread at record levels in Japan

A rare, deadly flesh-eating bacterial infection is spreading at a record rate in Japan, leaving health officials baffled.

Japan is likely to see a large increase in cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) , which has a 30% mortality rate and is usually caused by group A streptococcus bacteria , the Japan Times reports. reported.

This situation has also confused medical experts, urging people to wash their hands and clean their wounds thoroughly to limit the spread.

Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) told The Guardian : "There are still many unknown factors regarding the mechanism behind outbreak (severe and sudden) forms of streptococcus, and we are not yet at stages can explain them".

NIID reported recording 941 cases of STSS in 2023. However, in the first two months of 2024, 378 cases were recorded in 45/47 prefectures of Japan.

While there have been an average of only 100-200 cases per year since STSS was first identified in the country in 1992, that number increased to a record high of 894 cases in 2019.

Picture 1 of Infections caused by flesh-eating bacteria spread at record levels in Japan
People wear masks on a shopping street in central Osaka, Japan on March 15, 2024. (Photo: AFP)

Most cases of STSS are caused by streptococcus pyogenes , commonly known as strep A , which can cause sore throats mainly in children. However, many people carry the disease without showing any symptoms.

According to NIID, this bacteria is highly contagious and can lead to severe illness and death in people over 30 years old, with older people at higher risk.

The agency said the group A strain is leading to more deaths in patients under 50 years old. Twenty-one of 65 people under the age of 50 diagnosed with STSS between July and December 23, 2023 died, according to the Asahi Shimbum .

In its severe stages, STSS can cause necrosis of the connective tissue covering the muscles and even cause organ failure. Health officials said patients are prescribed antibiotics, but in severe cases, tissue must be removed.

Some health officials blame Japan's lifting of pandemic restrictions after the number of Covid-19 cases gradually decreased.

"We want people to take preventative steps such as keeping their fingers and hands clean and practicing proper hygiene," Japanese Health Minister Keizo Takemi told reporters earlier this year. when coughing".

To reduce the risk of getting or spreading the disease, people should avoid close contact with infected people, wash their hands frequently, cover their nose and mouth with a tissue after coughing or sneezing, and throw away the tissue quickly after use. .

Common symptoms of strep A include: