Epidemiology of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections and Associated Toxic Shock Syndrome in Taiwan, 2011-2015

Epidemiology of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections and Associated Toxic Shock Syndrome in Taiwan, 2011-2015

Invasive Group A Streptococcus infections and associated toxic shock syndrome are important infectious diseases worldwide, in the view of mortality, severe sequelae or medical burden. In 2011, the number of scarlet fever cases due to Group A streptococcal infections tripled in Hong Kong, including several children having invasive infection and toxic shock syndrome. Therefore, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control set up a surveillance system to monitor the situation of invasive Group A Streptococcus infections and associated toxic shock syndrome in Taiwan in July, 2011. The surveillance ended in June, 2015. In this research we analyzed the surveillance data from July, 2011 to June, 2015. A total of 876 cases were reported. The average annual incidence was 0.9 per 100,000 populations, with the highest incidence of 1.2 per 100,000 populations from July 2011 to June 2012. The number of cases and incidences increased with age. The elderly over 75 years old had the highest incidence of 4.5 to 6.5 per 100,000 populations. Male cases were more than female ones, with a ratio of 1.4 to 4.2. The case fatality rate was 3.1%. The research revealed the current situation of the disease in Taiwan, and provided a valuable baseline data for future studies and policy formulation.