One streptococcus in Japan risks unleashing chaos. Infections remain rare, but this pathology, called carnivorous disease, has seen cases double, from around forty last year to 88 in 2024.
The strep scare in Japan is also infecting neighboring countries
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome – this is the scientific name – has alarmed the authorities especially in the capital area, Tokyo.
Neighboring countries are also worriedso much so that in North Korea decided to cancel a football match between the two national teams, valid for qualification for the World Cup.
The South Korea has asked its citizens to be careful when traveling towards Japan for this very reason.
What is streptococcal toxic shock syndrome?
This syndrome is usually triggered by group A streptococcus it can cause necrosis of the connective tissues covering the muscles. That’s why the days called it the flesh-eating disease. The mortality rate is high, around 30 percent.
The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) admitted that it has not yet understood all the factors that underlie the fulminant forms. The Japanese Ministry of Health believes the increase in STSS cases is linked to a variant known as the M1UK strainincreasingly detected in patients from mid-November 2023.
What are the differences with the streptococcus that we also know in Italy?
Lo streptococcus A is a guy common bacterium, which is usually easily treatable and is found on the skin or in the throat. Streptococcus A can also cause scarlet fever, impetigo and laryngitis. In these cases the treatment involves therapy based on common antibiotics.
However, there are also some more serious diseases, which depend on a more aggressive group of streptococcus, called iGas. The most serious form of the infection is streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. The symptoms generally are:
fever, chills, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting.
In more serious cases, STSS can cause sepsis, organ failure and necrosis.