3 patients died of invasive strep infections last year, N.L. top doctor says – CBC

Last year, cases of Group A strep doubled in Newfoundland and Labrador

Jan 19, 2024

Cases of invasive group A streptococcal disease are on the rise in Newfoundland and Labrador, health officials say, matching a trend seen across Canada.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief medical officer of health, says 52 people were diagnosed with the bacterial infection in 2023, more than double any previous year.

Three of those people died, she said.

Fitzgerald said invasive group A strep is aggressive, and different from the common strep throat that is typically treated with antibiotics.

“Invasive group A strep occurs when [bacteria] gets into the bloodstream, or into other areas of the body like the central nervous system, and causes things like meningitis or pneumonia in the lungs, and can get into the deep tissues of the muscles and cause something called necrotizing fasciitis,” she said in an interview.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/streptococcal-invasive-infection-1.7088427