Strep A Linked To 2 U.S. Pediatric Deaths: What WI Parents Should Know

WISCONSIN — Health officials in the U.S. are monitoring a rare and invasive form of the typically mild bacteria known as group A strep that has been linked to at least two pediatric deaths in the country. The news comes as an antibiotic to treat the infection is in short supply.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a possible increase in invasive group strep A infections, which killed between 1,500 and 2,300 people a year in the last five years, the agency said.

Group A streptococcus bacteria, or iGAS, is highly contagious and commonly carried by people in the nose, throat and skin. It usually causes a sore throat and can be treated with the liquid antibiotic amoxicillin suspension; however, a shortage of this drug is expected to last for several months. Alternative therapies are available.

In its invasive form, strep A can enter the bloodstream, lungs, spinal cord and other places inside the body where the bacteria typically would not live, leading to diseases such as pneumonia, endocarditis (an infection of the heart’s inner lining), meningitis, urinary tract infections, sepsis, the serious skin and tissue infection necrotizing fasciitis, and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, which causes low blood pressure and injury to organs such as the kidneys, liver and lungs.

Children's Wisconsin has seen 9 cases of group A strep in 2022 so far, compared to 4 cases in 2021, according to a report on Friday by TMJ4. Sometimes routine respiratory illnesses can become more serious when bacteria is involved, said Dr. James Conway, a pediatric infectious disease physician for Madison's UW Health Kids, in the TMJ4 report.

Parents whose children show invasive group A strep symptoms should contact their physicians. Those symptoms include:

• A fever 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher;
• Severe muscle aches;
• Localized muscle tenderness; and
• Redness at the site of a wound.

There is no vaccine for group A strep, but keeping children current on vaccines for the flu, COVID-19 and chickenpox can help protect them against severe illnesses, Colorado state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihty said in a news release. In her state, there have been 11 reported cases of invasive group strep A in children since Nov. 1.

The state had not seen a pediatric death due to group A strep since 2018

Minnesota health officials also issued an invasive group A strep advisory, saying the number of cases reported so far in November (46)was more than double the number in other months this year.

Infections are increasing in Europe, too, with health officials in Great Britain saying Thursday that strep A infections are linked to the deaths of 74 people, including 16 children.

The World Health Organization said Thursday that increases of invasive group A strep diseases have also been reported in France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden, mostly among children under 10.

Health officials aren’t sure what is causing the increase in invasive A strep infections. CDC spokesperson Kate Grusich said in an email to CNN that the agency hasn’t determined if group A strep infections are returning to normal pre-pandemic levels or if something else is at work.

“The recent increases in respiratory viruses, particularly influenza, may also be contributing to a possible increase in iGAS infections,” Grusich said. “Concurrent or preceding viral infections such as influenza and skin conditions such as chickenpox may increase risk for iGAS infections.”

Those at greatest risk to severe group A strep infections are the very young and old, as well as people with existing health conditions that reduce immunity to infection, including cancer, diabetes, kidney disease and steroids, according to health officials. The bacteria is spread through coughing, sneezing, kissing and touching.

“Rates of iGAS are highest at extremes of age — in children and the elderly,” Michael Marks, an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told The Washington Post. “This is not fully understood, but may reflect immunity.”