The outbreak of dangerous bacteria in Japan affected over 500 people in Japan in 2017.
525 people contracted streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) as of Dec. 10, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. This is a dramatic increase in cases compared to previous years.
The Asahi Shimbun reported that the cases “include 66 in Tokyo, the highest of any prefecture, 40 in Kanagawa, 32 in Aichi, 31 in Fukuoka, and 28 in Hyogo, according to institute data.”
But there’s no need to panic– really.
What Is It?
STSS is a rare bacterial infection. The cause for the increase in cases is unknown.
“The number of patients with STSS was 203 in 2013, but the figure has been rising each year,” The Independent reported.
Several types of bacteria can cause necrotizing fasciitis, a skin infection that causes tissue death. The infection can be deadly, and quick diagnosis and antibiotics are critical to treatment.
“These bacteria include group A Streptococcus (group A strep),” according to the CDC. Group A is the most common cause of necrotizing fasciitis. This bacteria, also publicly known as “flesh-eating bacterium,” causes STSS.
The bacteria can produce toxins that destroy infected tissue. Infected people can lose limbs or die. The CDC reported:
“Infections from group A strep bacteria are generally mild and are easily treated. But in cases of necrotizing fasciitis, bacteria spread quickly once they enter the body. They infect the fascia, connective tissue that surround muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels. The infection also damages the tissues next to the fascia.”
Infected people may die from multiple organ failures among other symptoms if the infection reaches a critical stage– which occurs within a short period of time, the National Institute of Infectious Diseases warned.
“The initial symptoms of the disease are swelling and pain in the hands and feet, fever, and other signs,” The Asahi Shimbun reported. “Such swelling spreads over the course of several hours, causing necrosis of a band of tissue that surrounds the muscles of patients.”
The fatality rate among infected persons is 30 percent, and most of the people infected are 30 or older.
Cause and Prevention
The bacteria that cause STSS probably first appear in open wounds.
“It is believed that STSS begins in a patients’ wounds that have become infected, but there are many cases in which the path of the infection remains a mystery,” according to The Asahi Shimbun.
Prompt treatment with penicillin-based antibiotics generally work for infectious diseases, but because STSS can turn fatal quickly, prompt treatment is necessary before the bacteria spreads.
Concerning the transmission of necrotizing fasciitis, the CDC reported:
“In general, someone with necrotizing fasciitis does not spread the infection to other people. Most cases of [the infection] occur randomly. The most common way of getting [it] is when the bacteria enter the body through a break in the skin. This can include cuts, scrapes, burns, insect bites, or puncture wounds.”
People don’t catch necrotizing fasciitis like they catch a cold (caused by a virus). The CDC suggested that “common sense and good wound care” are the best methods of prevention against any kind of bacterial skin infection– including the flesh-eating kind.
These methods include:
- Covering open wounds with clean, dry bandages
- Immediately applying first aid even to any break in the skin
- Avoiding both treated and natural bodies of water if you have an open wound or skin infection
- Washing hands with soap and water often
If for no other reason, use good hygiene to ward off deadly disease.
