Many streptococcal cases they have been affecting many children since 2023, especially the youngest. Once again, experts explain that the cause is to be found in the stoppage of protections against Covid, such as masks and physical distancing.
Strep cases are not a problem
In the presence of fever, cough and sore throat i doctors have estimated that between 13-16% of all infections depend on this bacterium. No alarm, because these are the same numbers that were there before the pandemic. The news comes from a study by the Paediatrics and Microbiology Unit of the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS and the Catholic University. You can read the results of the research in the scientific journal Lancet Microbe.
The Italian study
The researchers analyzed data collected from 2018 to 2023 which concerned in particular the incidence of infection with Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) who required treatment in the pediatric emergency room of Gemelli in Rome. During these five years the team led by Antonio Chiaretti collected over 1,800 samples.
Strep cases significantly decreased during the pandemic
«During the pandemic years, 2020-2022, we observed a significant reduction in streptococcal infections, both in terms of quantity of samples received (due to reduced access to our hospital clinic), and also a significant reduction in the percentage of positive samples», dice Maurizio Sanguinettiwho coordinated the study together with Antonio Chiaretti.
As often happens in these cases, the main hypothesis is that children with caps to prevent Covid contagion have not developed immune defenses protective against infection.
It is essential to take a swab
To understand whether the sore throat is caused by streptococcus or instead by a virus, it is necessary to undergo or subject the child to a throat swabvery similar to what we experienced during the Covid pandemic.
If it is streptococcus or another bacterium, it must be treated by taking antibiotics. Attention, because in most cases sore throat is viral and therefore does not require antibiotics.