More than 10 million Americans experience mild cases of strep throat or impetigo every year, according to the National Institute of Health. The symptoms usually lead to nothing more than a sore throat or a skin rash. But, in rare cases a simple bacterial infection can cause an array of serious illnesses, including the invasive Group A strep.Dr. Sonja Anic, director of the communicable disease program for the El Paso County Department of Health and Environment, said that complications could arise from ignoring a strep infection. She said it’s possible to get kidney or heart damage from the strep bacteria, and, although it’s rare, strep can enter the blood system causing invasive Group A strep infections.The Center for Disease Control lists three types of severe strep infections: bacteremia, a blood stream infection; toxic shock syndrome, which causes multi-organ infections; and necrotizing fasciitis or what is commonly called the flesh-eating disease.All strep germs can be spread through direct contact with saliva or nasal discharge from an infected person or through contact with infected wounds or sores on the skin.Sickness usually occurs three days after exposure to strep, and people can remain infected for up to two or three weeks, even if they have no symptoms, Anic said.After a diagnosis of a strep infection, she said children should remain home from school, and employees should not go to work until they have taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours, after which they are no longer contagious. Anic said observing the stay-at-home rule is an important step towards reducing further complications.”When a strep infection turns into an invasive Group A strep, not all cases can be cured, and the disease has a 30 percent mortality rate unless it is treated within 24 hours of reaching the invasive stage,” she said. Anic referenced three toxic shock cases that occurred in Colorado Springs in April 2002. Three healthy women ages 34, 39 and 55, who worked for local schools, came down with the invasive strep disease. An investigation led by the health department found no links among the women, and strep infections at the schools were “occurring at expected levels.” But the two youngest women died shortly after contracting the disease.Anic also said parents should be aware that children who have chickenpox lesions are more susceptible to invasive Group A strep. “Chickenpox is a very simple childhood disease, but in rare cases it, too, may lead to invasive Group A strep,” she said. “It is very important to make sure children receive their chicken pox vaccination.”An even rarer disease that could occur as a result of a strep infection from an injury of after surgery is the flesh-eating disease. The disease received its nasty name because it rapidly spreads through the body, devouring tissue, muscles and possibly the lungs. Early symptoms of the disease include a fever over 100.4 F, swelling in the arms or legs, severe pain and swelling and redness around the area of a wound.”We don’t know why a common strep infection may go through your blood and turn into an invasive disease,” Anic said. But it must be aggressively fought with antibiotics; the infected tissue has to removed, and in advanced cases amputation may be necessary, she said.According to a March 10 Associated Press news release, North Carolina health officials said nursing assistant Sharron Bishop, age 44, died after contracting the rare flesh-eating bacteria at a nursing home. The bacteria are believed to have entered her body after she jammed her thumb in a wheelchair.Bishop sought help at Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital, where doctors gave her pain medication and sent her home, according to the release. Three days later, her arm was swollen twice its normal size, and she complained of “terrific pain.” While doctors at the University of North Carolina Hospital attempted to save her life, she died that evening.Colorado hospitals and health care providers are required by state law to report any cases of invasive Group A strep to the health department within 24 hours, Anic said.People can avoid strep infections by washing their hands frequently and covering any cuts or abrasions on the skin. But if someone thinks they may have strep, Anic advised to see a physician.According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the following people at the greatest risk of getting a severe strep infection:
- Children with chickenpox
- People with suppressed immune systems
- Burn victims
- Elderly people with cellulitis, diabetes, blood vessel disease or cancer
- People taking steroid treatments or chemotherapy
- Intravenous drug users
- Fever
- Severe pain and swelling (normally in the arms or legs)
- Redness at a wound site
- Fever
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- A flat red rash over large areas of the body
