CarolDec 19, 2022
Maryn McKenna
New from me at WIRED:
The UK is enduring an historic outbreak of scarlet fever, caused by group A strep infection. Cases *might* be rising in the US too; it's hard to know, because we haven't built the data systems that could tell us.
But if a wave of serious group A strep is coming, what might protect the US is greater awareness of the illness —caused, sadly, by the death of a NY teen 10 years ago.
https://www.wired.com/story/the-uk-is-enduring-an-onslaught-of-scarlet-fever-is-the-us-next/
The UK Is Enduring an Onslaught of Scarlet Fever. Is the US Next?

The US is more alert to the risks of strep infections, but the UK has better data. It’s not clear which makes more difference in controlling disease.

WIRED
Dec 19, 2022 at 9:45pmWeb
Show threadMichael VealeDec 19, 2022
@marynmck really clear, very useful article, thank you!
Show threadMaggie KoerthDec 19, 2022
@marynmck wait ... scarlet fever is strep A? I never knew. It's in my mind as "the thing that made Mary Ingalls blind" and maybe the Velveteen Rabbit?
Show threadMaryn McKennaDec 20, 2022
@maggiek those are in the story! The boy in the Velveteen Rabbit (recovers, but toys are burned for disinfection) and Beth in Little Women (recovers, but dies later of probably rheumatic fever heart damage).
Laura Ingalls Wilder did say that Mary had scarlet fever, but 21st-c diagnosticians think it was more likely meningoencephalitis — but she picked "scarlet fever" as an explanation because it would have been familiar and scary.
Show threadPeter BornsteinDec 19, 2022

@marynmck

Excellent report, Maryn. While most cases of invasive GAS infections are sporadic, we see these clusters/outbreaks happen, and I wonder about two questions: why do they start? And why do they stop?

Show threadLaurenDec 19, 2022
@marynmck
Mary,
I teach students ( South Korean) who are currently residing in China. They are experiencing a large outbreak of students sick with high temperatures lasting well over a week. One of my students stated that 36 were absent in her grade level. She was the only female present in her class last week; all the other females were home sick with high temperatures.
Show threadMaryn McKennaDec 20, 2022
@lmediaarts well, that's a scary report. Ofc, China is experiencing a truly massive surge of Covid, due to their emergence from the "zero Covid" strategy. Do they report whether they are getting any testing?
Show threadLaurenDec 20, 2022
@marynmck
My student explained that they were not being tested. She stated that people are “advised” that they probably have COVID based on symptoms.
Show threadJohn MarrinDec 19, 2022
@marynmck nice, well written article. Very interesting.
Show threadGreengordonDec 19, 2022

@marynmck

This seemed a solid article until you claimed "immunity gap" was causing this surge. There is no such thing.

Show threadMaryn McKennaDec 20, 2022
@greengordon there is no such thing as "immunity debt," I agree; the Association of Health Care Journalists just posted a useful explainer as to why journalists should not use the term. But there has to be a way to explain the difference between the everyday exposures that children get living in the world, and the lesser amount of exposure that they had during masking and reduced social mixing. One of the experts I spoke to used "immunity gap" to describe this. I'm comfortable with it.
Show threadGreengordonDec 20, 2022

@marynmck

Hi Maryn,

As I understand it from experts, not getting sick one year does not make one more likely to get sick or sicker the next year.

Show threadStrawberry🍓SabotageDec 21, 2022
@greengordon @marynmck yes, but there has to be something said for herd immunity, and the benefit gained from collective immunity that occurs with socialization. The likelihood of exposure increases when herd immunity is so low, especially when all protective measures are dropped so suddenly.
Show threadGreengordonDec 20, 2022

@marynmck

Good sources on immunity debt and gap:

@erictopol
@protect_bc

Show threadThomas H Jones IIDec 20, 2022
@marynmck As someone who's immune compromised, hate seeing stories like these.
Show threadStrawberry🍓SabotageDec 21, 2022
@marynmck seems like a bad time to point out that the US also has a shortage of amoxicillin.