Mutated Scarlet Fever in Hong Kong

[GraceUnderPressure]

Well, this is not good news for anyone, but PANDAS families especially (though honestly, I've been wondering if there is not already similar forms of resistance occuring in our country)

 

Second Hong Kong Child Dies of Mutated Scarlet Fever

 

 

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

By STAFF, Associated Press

 

HONG KONG (AP) - A mutated strain of scarlet fever more resistant to antibiotics has killed a second child in Hong Kong, the first deaths from the illness in the southern Chinese city in at least a decade, authorities said Wednesday.

 

Certain characteristics of the new strain likely make it more contagious, and it may be responsible for an outbreak sweeping Hong Kong, said Professor Kwok-yung Yuen, head of Hong Kong University's microbiology department.

 

The new strain strain has about 60 percent resistance to antibiotics used to treat it, compared with 10 to 30 percent in previous strains, he said.

 

A 5-year-old boy who died at a hospital Tuesday was confirmed to have scarlet fever Wednesday. A 7-year-old girl who died in May was the first patient in Hong Kong to die of the illness in at least 10 years.

 

Hong Kong has had 466 reported cases of scarlet fever so far this year, about double the annual total. The outbreak may have spread to neighboring Macau and mainland China.

 

About 9,000 cases have been reported on the mainland, about double the average from recent years, although no information is available on deaths, the Hong Kong Standard newspaper reported, citing health officials. Macau has 49 cases, a jump from 29 cases in 2009 and 16 in 2010, but no deaths have been reported, the Macau Daily Times said.

 

"We are facing an epidemic because the bacteria causing scarlet fever is widely circulating in the region - not only in Hong Kong but neighboring places such as the mainland and Macau," said Thomas Tsang, controller of Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection, the Standard reported.

 

Scarlet fever is a streptococcal disease characterized by a bright red skin rash, fever and sore throat. It's most common in children under 10.

 

Infectious diseases are a particular concern in Hong Kong, where the 2003 SARS outbreak killed 299 people. Nearly 500 more deaths were reported in other countries.

 

 

(Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

[thereishope]

Scary.All we can hope for is that familes here will realize how serious strep can be by reading things like this and go to the doctor in a timely manner instead of just waiting and hoping it runs its course becaue it's "just strep".

[mkur]

I know this sounds sick but this could be a good thing for pandas. The doctors will have to get serious about giving strep tests. The CDC will start to collect data and do tests - they need to document scarlet fever cases period. If I had known how serious scarlet fever was when my son got it in 1994, things might have turned out different. I was told it was easily treated with abx - not to worry. I don't worry about the kids already labeled pandas - I worry about the kids whose parents know nothing about pandas. These bugs are evolving and we need to be changing too. Thanks for posting.

Edited June 23, 2011 by mkur