4 B.C. children under 10 dead from invasive strep infections since mid-December, officials say – CTV
Jan. 19, 2024
Four children under age 10 have died in British Columbia from invasive group A streptococcal bacteria since mid-December, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The centre said in a statement Thursday that the province “continues to experience higher levels” of this type of infection – abbreviated as iGAS – than usual.
“Following a December 2023 bulletin about elevated levels of iGAS infections, updated data from 2023 now show 60 cases reported in people under the age of 20, three times as many infections reported in this age group for 2022,” the BCCDC’s statement reads.
Two of the four iGAS-related deaths reported Thursday were identified alongside influenza, and have previously been publicized, the BCCDC said. The other two iGAS-related deaths occurred in patients infected with human metapneumovirus, which is another respiratory illness.
