Strep Throat Rising in Some Areas of US, Kids & Adults: Info, Antibiotic Supply

- NBC News, Oct. 28, 2023. Ed. - Some children's hospitals report a "significant increase" in the bacterial infection as a widely used antibiotic that can stop the spread is in short supply.

An unprecedented number of otherwise healthy adults and children are coming into the emergency room at Henry Ford Medical Center — Fairlane in Dearborn, Michigan, sick with strep, said Dr. Jennifer Stevenson, the head of the emergency department.

"I've been practicing emergency medicine for 25 years, and I have not seen strep throat as frequently as I have in these past 6 or 8 months," Stevenson said. In fact, strep has been the 2nd most common diagnosis in Stevenson's emergency department since March, following chest pain. Many of the patients also had Covid.

The bacterial illness, marked by painful, scratchy throats and high fevers, has been rising for months in parts of the mid-Atlantic and the Southeast, as well. We are "absolutely seeing a significant increase in strep" that began over the summer, said Dr. Thomas Lacy, division chief for Nemours Children's Primary Care. The Nemours system includes children's hospitals and pediatricians in DE, FL and PA.

Why is strep bad right now? Cases of invasive strep A — a similar type of bacterium that also causes scarlet fever and impetigo — have been increasingly diagnosed over the past decade, but it's the common form of the illness that's affecting children in hospitals right now. It's unclear why strep is making a strong comeback this year, though the Covid pandemic did disrupt the typical cadence of seasonal illnesses, such as RSV and the flu...

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/strep-throat-covid-fall-illness-what-know-rcna122152
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- Also: Pharmacies Are Reporting Shortages of Widely Used Antibiotic, Amoxicillin,
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/pharmacies-are-reporting-shortages-widely-used-antibiotic-amoxicillin-rcna53476