Remember strep infections from when you were a kid? Nasty stuff that gave you a horrible sore throat, sometimes a rash, and sometimes even worse?
Though most strep infections (called Group A Strep disease or GAS) are mild, such as strep throat or a skin infection called impetigo, severe and sometimes fatal cases can occur when bacteria gets into the blood, muscle, or the lungs.
People with chronic illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes, and chronic heart or lung disease, and those who use steroids, are at higher risk for invasive strep infections. Others at high-risk include anyone with skin lesions, the elderly, and adults with a history of drug or alcohol abuse.
To help prevent strep infections, the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says you should:
- Wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, especially after coughing or sneezing and before cooking or eating.
- Make an appointment with your doctor if you have a sore throat, so he or she can perform a test to find out whether you have strep throat.
- If you do have strep throat, stay home from work, school, or daycare until you have been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours.
- Keep all wounds clean and watch for signs of infection, such as fever, redness, swelling, drainage, and pain. If you have any of these symptoms, especially a fever, contact your doctor immediately.
The bacteria associated with strep infections are spread through direct contact with mucus from the nose or throat of persons who are infected or contact with infected wounds or sores on the skin.
Millions of people are diagnosed with strep throat or impetigo each year. Those with mild cases may have no symptoms. Most cases are treated with a course of antibiotics.
The more severe types of strep infections, also known as invasive GAS disease, infect between 9,000 and 11,500 people a year and are responsible for 1,000 to 1,800 deaths annually.