The invasive form of strep can lead to flesh-eating disease or organ failure. Almost 2,000 people died from 2013 to 2022. Severe, possibly life-threatening strep infections are rising in the United States.
The number of invasive group A strep infections more than doubled from 2013 to 2022, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Prior to that, rates of invasive strep had been stable for 17 years.
Invasive group A strep occurs when bacteria spread to areas of the body that are normally germ-free, such as the lungs or bloodstream. The same type of bacteria, group A streptococcus, is responsible for strep throat — a far milder infection.