This Tuesday’s day, Ministry of Health issued an alert and delivered a series of instructions to face deaths due to streptococcus bacteria. This because of triple the number of cases have been recorded that compared to the same date in 2023.
The ‘streptococcus pyogenes‘, produces an infection that aggravates influenza, which has caused an outbreak. For this reason, Ignacio Silva, infectious disease specialist and academic at the University of Santiago, explains What is the bacteria, why have cases increased and the concerns to be taken?.
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“It is a bacteria that we know well, which affects people of all ages. In children and adolescents it is characteristic because it causes purulent tonsillitis and can also cause some more serious diseases, especially at the level of the skin and soft tissues,” explained the health professional.
Along these lines, he clarified that it is a bacteria “known to us for a long time.” Despite this, he pointed out that the difference that has been seen in the last two years is that Reported cases of serious infections due to this bacteria have been increasing”.
According to the latest studies carried out, Silva revealed that there would be a factor of greater virulence. That is “A strain of this bacteria, which is a little more aggressive, is the one that has predominated in recent years in these more serious cases”.
“Most children and adolescents have had some episode of purulent tonsillitis due to streptococcus, which, beyond being very symptomatic, is treated with a dose of penicillin and that’s it. However, In boys and girls who are facing an acute illness of influenza, it can generate an infection”, concluded the academic.
