From October to December 2022, a resurgence of pediatric invasive Group A Streptococcus (iGAS) infections occurred, according to research published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Rachel Herlihy, MD, and colleagues conducted an analysis of iGAS cases in children from Colorado and Minnesota. Case counts, age distribution, and clinical characteristics were compared for January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019 (baseline period); January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period); and October 1 to December 31, 2022 (recent increase). The researchers found that 34 cases were reported in Colorado and Minnesota sites during the recent increase period. A 3-month average of 11 and four cases were reported during the same periods in 2016-2019 and 2020-2021, respectively. Patients from Colorado identified during the recent increase were younger than those during the baseline and pandemic periods, but this was not the case in Minnesota. During the recent increase, two deaths were noted, one in each state; five deaths occurred from 2016 to 2021. Also, during the recent increase, ICU admission frequency and hospital length of stay were similar, and most cases (73.5%) were in patients without underlying medical conditions.
