An Australian toddler ended up in the ICU for two months after strep A was misdiagnosed, her mother said.Photo:7 NEWS Australia
7 NEWS Australia
An Australian toddler ended up in the intensive care unit after a case of Strep A was dismissed as “just a fever.”
“The GP [general practitioner] said it was just a fever she’s having,” Melbourne mother Sandeep Kaur toldAustralia’s 7News.
However, 16-month-old Girsirat actually had a Strep A infection — which quickly landed her in the ICU for two months, as she struggled with kidney failure and body swelling that made her unable to walk.
Strep A — shorthand for streptococcus bacteria — can cause a wide variety of illnesses, according tothe CDC, which notes that early treatment is key to prevent it from progressing into more serious diseases.
A close-up view of streptococcus bacteria.BSIP/UIG/Universal Images Group/Getty
BSIP/UIG/Universal Images Group/Getty
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More rarely, Strep A can cause Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome, leading to “low blood pressure, multiple organ failure, and even death,” according tothe CDC, andnecrotizing fasciitis(a.k.a., the flesh-eating disease), which can cause amputations or death.
“It was a very hard time for us,” Kaur told 7News. “It was terrible . . . we never expected that,”
Last December,the CDCcautioned that Strep A was on the rise in the United States.
And this past spring, the agency toldABC Newsthat “preliminary 2023 data indicate that [invasive Strep A] infections have remained high in children in some areas of the country even after some respiratory viruses decreased in those areas.”
Some areas of the United States “are seeing higher levels than were seen pre-COVID-19 pandemic” the statement continued.
There are an estimated 14,000 to 25,000 cases of invasive group A strep disease a year, according tothe CDC, with up to 2,300 people dying of it annually.
A rapid test — consisting of a throat swab — candetect Strep Ain minutes.
source: people.com
