A rare, deadly flesh-eating bacterial infection is mysteriously spreading at a record rate in Japan, according to officials.
Japan is expecting to see a large increase in cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS), which has a 30% fatality rate and is most often caused by the bacteria called group A streptococcus, The Japan Times reported.
The surge in case numbers has medical experts scratching their heads and urging people to wash their hands and thoroughly clean their wounds to curb its spread.
A scanning electron micrograph of group A streptococcus bacteria. US National institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
“There are still many unknown factors regarding the mechanisms behind fulminant (severe and sudden) forms of streptococcus, and we are not at the stage where we can explain them,” Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) told The Guardian.
The NIID reported recorded 941 confirmed cases of STSS in 2023. In the first two months of 2024, 378 cases have already been recorded, infecting patients in all but two of Japan’s 47 prefectures.
Although there’s been an average of just 100-200 cases per year since the STSS was first identified in the country in 1992, that number soared to a record high of 894 cases in 2019.
Most cases of STSS are caused by streptococcus pyogenes, more commonly known as strep A, which can cause sore throats mainly in children but many people carry it without becoming sick.
The bacteria is highly contagious and can lead to serious illness and death in adults over the age of 30, with older people at greater risk, according to NIID.
The NIID reported recorded 941 confirmed cases of STSS in 2023. CDC
The group A strain is now leading to more deaths in patients under 50, the agency said, with 21 of the 65 people under age 50 diagnosed with STSS between July and December 023 dying, according to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbum.
In advanced stages, STSS can cause necrosis of connective tissues covering the muscles and even organ failure. Patients are prescribed antibiotics, but the tissue must be removed in serious cases, health officials said.
In the first two months of 2024, 378 cases have already been recorded, infecting patients in all but two of Japan’s 47 prefectures. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Some health officials blame Japan’s lifting of pandemic restrictions after cases of COVID-19 tapered off.
“We want people to take preventative steps such as keeping your fingers and hands clean, and exercising cough etiquette,” Japan’s Health minister Keizo Takemi told reporters earlier this year.