April 20, 2023 – Cases of strep throat surged this past winter, breaking a pre-pandemic trend that had been predictable since 2017, a new report says.
Overall, strep throat cases were up 30%, compared to the previous peak from 6 years ago, according to an analysis by Epic Research. The research firm analyzed health records, which showed that strep throat was diagnosed in one in every 100 doctor’s office or emergency room visits in February of this year.
As with many illnesses, strep had declined during the pandemic. Its strong return this season prompted the CDC to issue an alert to public health officials in December.
The increase was seen in all age groups, but was particularly notable among 4- to 13-year-olds, according to Epic Research. That age group was diagnosed with strep in more than 5 in 10 medical visits in February.
"We have seen really an unprecedented rise in group A strep – more than we’ve probably seen here, looking back, at least for a decade, and probably longer than that," Sam Dominguez, MD, PhD, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, told NBC News.
The CDC confirmed that unpublished government metrics showed an unusual increase in strep this past winter, the outlet reported. The high rates are persisting in some parts of the U.S. A CDC spokesperson told NBC News that "many states are continuing to see higher than usual numbers of invasive group A strep cases, particularly in children ages 17 years and younger and adults ages 65 years and older."
In the Epic Research analysis, the diagnoses included the highly contagious illnesses strep pharyngitis and strep tonsillitis. They are caused by the bacteria A Streptococcus, commonly known as group A strep. Typical symptoms are a fever, pain when swallowing, and a sore throat that can start very quickly, the CDC says. Group A strep spreads through direct contact and respiratory droplets, and symptoms typically appear 2 to 5 days after exposure.