Update: Don’t Underestimate the Growing Risk of Severe Strep A

Just a few weeks after we told you hospitals across the country were seeing far more cases of severe Streptococcus A infection than in a typical year, mainstream media outlets are again sounding the alarm that the tripledemic should not be the only concern for healthcare providers and families. According to a report from WWMT in Grand Rapids, MI, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, for one, has seen four cases of severe infection linked to group A Strep as of early January. They expect to see five cases in an entire year, normally. It’s not just a problem in the U.S., either, as the World Health Organization reports that at least five of its European members are seeing more deaths from invasive group A strep than expected. Scarlet fever and necrotizing fasciitis are among the complications to be vigilant for.