Six cases of a rare but invasive infection has been identified within the last six weeks in the west of Ireland, The Irish Times has learned. Dr Muiris Houston, Medical Correspondent, reports.
The unusual cluster of cases of invasive Group A streptococcus (GAS) has occurred in the Health Service Executive (HSE) Western Area - formerly the Western Health Board - which includes counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
Of the six people affected, two developed a severe form of invasive GAS called necrotising fasciitis, in which large areas of soft tissue under the skin are destroyed. A further two patients presented with septicaemia, a serious form of blood poisoning. The remaining cases of the infection caused joint problems and abdominal infection.
The two people with necrotising fasciitis have died, while the four more recently diagnosed patients are either stable in hospital or have been discharged home following treatment. It is understood that three of these four cases occurred in different parts of Co Galway with the other identified elsewhere in the region.
The HSE Western Area said all six cases of GAS were acquired in the community and were not in anyway linked to one another. It confirmed that laboratory results from the two patients with necrotising fasciitis found they had been infected with different sub-types of GAS, indicating no link between them.
"These cases represent an unusual clustering of a rare disease. It is unlikely that we will have any more, if any, in the coming months," Dr Diarmuid O'Donovan, director of public health for the HSE Western Area said last night. Local general practitioners have been alerted so that potential cases of invasive GAS can be identified early.
Confirming that it was highly unusual to have this number of patients with invasive GAS in a short period, a spokeswoman for the executive said an investigation was being carried out to see if there was any link between these cases. "No cases of infection with Group A streptococcus have been reported in any of the families of these six patients or in the health-care workers who have looked after them."
Asked to comment on the cluster of cases, Dr Robert Cunney, consultant microbiologist with the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said: "The number of cases seen to date is higher than would normally be expected for a single geographical area over a period of one to two months. At present no epidemiological link has been found between the cases."
He added that there was no evidence of other clusters elsewhere in the Republic. "Microbiologists and public health departments have been alerted and asked to report any suspect cases."