Over the past few days, a new kind of bacteria is seen to have been seen and it looks more deadly then the outbreak of corona virus. The name of the deadly bacteria is STSS, Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome .
The clinical term for the disease is streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS).
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is a severe illness caused when Group A Streptococcus bacteria spreads into the blood and deep tissues, according to the CDC.
The new bacteria, STSS is said to have been in a human body and survive by eating the hosts flesh. That means the bacteria is named as ‘a flesh eating bacteria’ which kills a human in less than 48 hours which is just 2 days.
There have been 1,019 cases of STSS in the first six months of 2024, surpassing the total number recorded last year in the country.
Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases warned of a rise in cases in March, after 77 deaths from the illness were recorded. The majority of the cases at that time were of people above the age of 50.
The United States reported 145 cases of STSS in 2021, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While people with open wounds are at an increased risk of contracting STSS, it’s not known how the bacteria gets into the bodies of nearly half the people who are diagnosed.
Risk factors include having recently had surgery, or having had a varicella virus such as the chickenpox or shingles, the CDC said, adding that STSS is more common in those over 65.
It is mainly seen in
- Older adults and children
- People with diabetes
- People with alcohol use disorder
- People undergoing treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- People with an immunodeficiency
The syptoms includes:
- Fever and chills
- Muscle aches
- Nausea and vomiting
About 24 to 48 hours after the first symptoms start, the following symptoms may develop:
- Low blood pressure
- Organ failure
- A faster-than-normal heart rate
- Rapid breathing
- The death of body tissue
The death of body tissue, which is also known as necrosis, is where the “flesh-eating bacteria” name has come from.
It’s treatment cannot be done entirely but
People with STSS need to receive care at a hospital.
Australia’s national public health information service Healthdirect says the disease is treated with antibiotics.
Surgery may also be required to remove the source of infection.
This trend is not limited to Japan, the ministry’sstatement said, and added thatit was safe to travel to the country. It advised following hand hygiene, cough etiquette and cleaning wounds to prevent infections.
Steer said the cases in Japan should be seen in the context of a rise in Group A Strep infections of various kinds around the world after the pandemic. That could be because while people were taking precautions to avoid catching covid, they also avoided other diseases, lowering immunity.
STSS is rare, and has already had a long-term global presence.
Steer said that “we’ve had streptococcal toxic shock syndrome and invasive strep A infection in the U.S. for decades and decades and decades, hundreds of years.”
“It’s still an uncommon infection, but the community and doctors should be aware that there is an increase in the number of cases,” he said,advising keeping an eye out for symptoms.
Local newspaper Asahi Shimbun reports that the outbreak has hit Tokyo particularly hard, with 145 cases in the first half of this year already. The majority of cases have been reported in adults over 30, and the death rate is around 30 per cent.
According to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the best protection against GAS and STSS is good hygiene, including thorough hand washing, treating any GAS infections promptly, and keeping a close eye on any wounds, cuts or infections of the skin.