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Japan Medicine

Flesh-Eating Bacteria That Can Kill in Two Days Spreads in Japan (msn.com) 43

Bloomberg reports: A disease caused by a rare "flesh-eating bacteria" that can kill people within 48 hours is spreading in Japan after the country relaxed Covid-era restrictions. Cases of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) reached 977 this year by June 2, higher than the record 941 cases reported for all of last year, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, which has been tracking incidences of the disease since 1999.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) typically causes swelling and sore throat in children known as "strep throat," but some types of the bacteria can lead to symptoms developing rapidly, including 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. "Most of the deaths happen within 48 hours," said Ken Kikuchi, a professor in infectious diseases at Tokyo Women's Medical University. "As 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...."

At the current rate of infections, the number of cases in Japan could reach 2,500 this year, with a "terrifying" mortality rate of 30%, Kikuchi said.

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Flesh-Eating Bacteria That Can Kill in Two Days Spreads in Japan

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  • At last! (Score:1, Troll)

    by quonset ( 4839537 )

    A real plague I can get behind. But not in Japan. Might I suggest Texas or Florida instead? Both have large populations over the age of 50.

    • Please no. Remember those places have nothing to stop it from spreading beyond those states

    • Ummmm....hmmmmm... wow?

    • by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Do you want to retire one day? Or are you plans to kill yourself when you reach 50?

      • by Jamu ( 852752 )
        When the gem in his palm starts blinking - at the age of 30 - he makes his way to the Carrousel.
    • by gtall ( 79522 )

      I'm no fan of Florida or Texas, but stooping to the level you did is reprehensible. If something like this can push you into thinking like a barbarian, what is wrong with you?

      • Just about everyone can be pushed to barbarism, and most would justify their descent as moral and honorable, if only to sleep at night.

        That's the one lesson of history.

        And it's why a healthy members of a healthy society always have to have every brain cell blazing to refrain from indulging their baser instincts and reverting to the Hobbesian state.

        If you think you're above that, you're almost certainly lying to yourself. See above about being able to sleep at night.

      • Re:At last! (Score:5, Insightful)

        by quonset ( 4839537 ) on Sunday June 16, 2024 @03:29PM (#64553801)

        I'm no fan of Florida or Texas, but stooping to the level you did is reprehensible. If something like this can push you into thinking like a barbarian, what is wrong with you?

        If the heads of both states, with the goose-stepping support of their respective legislatures have no problem with women [dallasnews.com] and children [arstechnica.com] dying [wlrn.org], eliminate safety protections [texastribune.org] for workers [wusf.org], have told their people not to take basic health precautions [nbcnews.com] during a previous pandemic AND have barred local communities [cbsnews.com] from enacting ordinances to protect people [theguardian.com], and have openly stated people should be allowed to kill illegals [nbcnews.com], I see no reason not to get rid people like that. Or do you think everything I just mentioned is not barbaric?

        • While I actually agree with a lot of points you made, arguing that people who advocate for abortion bans are because people have "no problem with children dying" is somewhere between extremely misleading and outright lying.
        • You didn't say the heads of both states and their supporters in their legislatures deserve a plague. You said that the entire population of both states over the age of 50 should have a plague inflicted upon them, which for the record includes a large number of people who disagree with any number of those issues.

          And for the record, even wishing death on the former group isn't a good look. This is how fascists think. The basic premise of democracy is rule by the people, for better or for worse, even if tho
  • this pops up kills and injures a few people then disappears before the scientists and doctors can trace it back to the source, could have started from a migratory bird flying half way around the world that crapped on the sidewalk and somebody stepped in it and it spread out from there
  • ... With every 1ÂC temperature increase, viruses and bacteria is like ~2x more active. Whale cum to da new world.
  • My guess is that most of the infections are occurring in the hospitals and long term care facilities. Indeed Japan had covid era restrictions in most of these facilities up until recently. Now that older and at risk people are mixing with the general public, it makes sense that something like this could happen.
  • by amp001 ( 948513 ) on Sunday June 16, 2024 @02:08PM (#64553675)
    My then-wife nearly died from Group A Strep Toxic Shock Syndrome nearly twenty years ago. She'd been vomiting for a couple of days and was severely dehydrated. Her skin appeared sunburned. The outer layer would eventually completely shed in sheets about a week later. Once they got an IV drip going, fluid built up in her lungs, likely due to hypoalbuminemia, which is a key feature of STSS. This landed her in ICU on a BiPAP mask (intubation would have been the next step had the BiPAP not worked).

    Two IVs plus a twin-lead PIC with five infusion pumps running multiple antibiotics plus IV immunoglobulin and, later, a big bag of lipids. Multiple organ failure, including kidneys meant her electrolytes were way off, and that triggered a latent conduction path problem in her heart. A couple episodes of tachycardia were addressed using a drug that (briefly) stopped her heart completely each time. That was unpleasant.

    It took several days for them to even diagnose what it was. But, one day, a young doctor we'd never met before burst into the room and, without introducing herself, said "I know what you have!" After that, doctors from all over the area (a large metropolitan area with over 8 million residents at that time) to examine her just to see what a patient with this extremely rare condition looks like. It was touch-and-go for about a week during her 10 days in the ICU. Recovery took about a year, and left some permanent damage to her gallbladder.

    0/10 - would not recommend.
    • That sounds a lot like radiation exposure
    • Thanks for the excellent level of detail and warning.

      Honest question: Are you a doctor, or did you pay really close attention and learn the details really well? Either way, that was an impressive description.
      • by amp001 ( 948513 ) on Sunday June 16, 2024 @09:22PM (#64554307)
        Not a doctor â€" engineer. ICU visiting hours are longer, but not 24 hours per day. So I'd come home for a few hours, fix a meal and eat it while reading every published medical paper I could find. I definitely learned a lot. Like, don't try to supplement with albumin. One paper studied that went it made the already poor survival rate significantly worse. I think a lot of engineers and scientists cope by diving in to learn as much as possible.
    • Wait I think I saw this episode of House...
  • Egomanical (Score:2, Interesting)

    If this becomes beyond control, let us all hope that the most selfish people are in significant personal danger lest they continue to spread this one too. Some people will be able to isolate properly without turning into whining crybabies and some people won't. Let's just hope they have motivation to become the former.
  • So based on Japan's population they could have about 3700 cases a year. So 977 cases, although horrible, is below the average.
    • The stats from the UK [www.gov.uk] suggest it is more like 0.5 per 100k. Translated to Japan that would be ~625 infections. So over 900 seems quite high compared to the UK. However, the UK data show the rates get much higher with age and Japan has an older population so there might be a significant effect there?
  • Must be caused by foreigners, better close the border again

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