16 Invasive Group A Streptococcus
https://www.cdc.gov/groupastrep/
16.1 Epidemiologic Review
16.1.1 Disease Information
Overview: Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. The bacteria are usually found in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or body fluids.
Symptoms: Symptoms can vary but common types of invasive disease include bacteremia (infection in the blood), cellulitis (infection of the deep layers of the skin), pneumonia and meningitis (infection in the brain and spinal cord).
Transmission: Transmission occurs between people when a healthy person comes into contact with bodily fluids (blood, respiratory droplets, etc.) of an infected person.
Treatment: GAS is a serious disease that requires treatment with antibiotics as soon as possible.
Prevention There are no specific recommendations for prevention. Practicing good hygiene habits like washing your hands often can help avoid spreading infections. It is also important that people using needles to inject themselves are always using new, clean needles and not reusing or sharing needles.
16.1.2 Demographics
Rates for <1, 1-4, and 5-17 years of age are not displayed due low case counts.
| Race | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|
| American Indian or Alaska Native | <5 cases |
| Asian | <5 cases |
| Black or African American | 22.8 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | <5 cases |
| Other Race | 4.2 |
| Two or More Races | <5 cases |
| Unknown | <5 cases |
| White | 16 |
Rates for American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Two or More Races, and Unknown Race are not displayed due low case counts.
| Ethnicity | Rate per 100k |
|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 5.4 |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 14.9 |
| Unknown | <5 cases |
Rates for Unknown Ethnicity are not displayed due to low case counts.
16.1.4 Monthly and Historical Comparisons
2022 had the the highest rate of Group A Streptoccocus in the previous 5 years.
Data for Utah and the CDC were retrieved from the CDC’s Notifiable Infectious Disease Data Tables and were available up until 2020. National data was not available for this disease in the time range at time of report.