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A disease caused by a rare \u201cflesh-eating bacteria\u201d that can kill people within 48 hours is spreading in Japan after the country relaxed Covid-era restrictions.<\/p>\n
Cases of\u00a0streptococcal toxic shock syndrome<\/a>\u00a0(STSS) reached 977 this year by June 2, higher than the record\u00a0941 cases<\/a>\u00a0reported for all of last year, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, which has been tracking incidences of the disease since 1999.\u00a0<\/p>\n Group A Streptococcus (GAS) typically causes swelling and sore throat in children known as \u201cstrep throat,\u201d but some types of the bacteria can\u00a0lead to symptoms developing rapidly,<\/a>\u00a0including limb pain and swelling, fever, low blood pressure, that can be followed by necrosis, breathing problems, organ failure and death. People over 50 are more prone to the disease.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of the deaths happen within 48 hours,\u201d said\u00a0Ken Kikuchi<\/a>, a professor in infectious diseases at Tokyo Women\u2019s Medical University. \u201cAs soon as a patient notices swelling in foot in the morning, it can expand to the knee by noon, and they can die within 48 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Other countries have experienced recent outbreaks. In late 2022 at least five European nations\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0to the World Health Organization an increase in cases of invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) disease, which includes STSS. The WHO said the rise in cases followed the end of Covid restrictions.<\/p>\n At the current rate of infections, the number of cases in Japan could reach 2,500 this year, with a \u201cterrifying\u201d mortality rate of 30%, Kikuchi said.<\/p>\n Kikuchi urged people to maintain hand hygiene and to treat any open wounds. He said patients may carry GAS in their intestines, which could contaminate hands through feces.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nSubscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. Sign up<\/a> for free today.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n