The authorities are faced with a conundrum: a deadly disease is suddenly spreading in Japan

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Alarm in Japan: Fear spreads in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. The fear of the worst and deadliest form of streptococcal disease. A dangerous wave of bacterial infections is spreading in Japan at record speed. Authorities are struggling to determine the cause of the increase in infections. This was reported by the British ‘Guardian’.

It is already almost clear that the number of cases in 2024 will surpass last year’s record numbers. Several virulent and infectious strains of streptococci have already been discovered in the country.

At the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), an institution under the Ministry of Health, experts are desperately trying to figure out what could be behind the increase. “There are still many unknowns regarding the mechanisms behind severe and sudden onset of strep, and we are not yet at the stage where we can explain them,” the NIID said.

In the worst case, there is a risk of organ failure

According to preliminary figures from the NIID, 941 cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) were recorded last year. In 2024, 378 cases were documented in the first two months alone. Only two regions of Japan had no infections.

The risk group for streptococcal infections mainly includes the elderly, but more and more people under the age of 50 are now also affected. As the ‘Asahi Shimbun’ newspaper reports, of the 65 people under the age of 50 who were diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome due to streptococcal infection between July and December 2023, 21 have died. In other words: a third.

A bacteria called Streptococcus pyogenes is responsible for most cases of STSS. In adults over 30 years of age, approximately 30 percent of STSS cases are fatal.

Infected people experience cold symptoms, and in some cases the symptoms worsen to sore throat, tonsillitis, pneumonia and meningitis. In the worst case, there is a risk of toxic shock, organ failure and necrosis. That is why people sometimes talk about ‘flesh-eating bacteria’.

Infection through physical contact and wounds

Some experts believe that the rapid rise in cases last year is linked to the lifting of restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. One of them, infectiologist Ken Kikuchi of Tokyo Women’s Medical University, is concerned about the dramatic increase in the number of patients with serious streptococcal infections this year. “We must clarify the infection cycle of serious invasive streptococcal diseases and bring them under immediate control,” he demands. His argument: The lifting of the Corona measures has led to more and more people abandoning infection prevention measures, such as regularly disinfecting their hands.

Streptococci are transmitted through droplet infection and physical contact. The bacteria can also infect patients through wounds on hands and feet.

The Ministry of Health has hygiene tips for dealing with streptococcal infections, which were already part of daily life during Corona. “We want people to take preventive measures such as keeping their fingers and hands clean,” Health Minister Keizo Takemi, 72, told reporters.

Source: Blick