Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a bacteria commonly found in the throat and on the skin of healthy people. It can cause strep throat, scarlet fever, skin infections and other non-life threatening conditions. In very rare cases, GAS can become invasive. The most severe and least common forms of invasive GAS are necrotizing fasciitis (NF), also known as the "flesh-eating disease", andstreptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). For more information, see the health unit's fact sheet on iGAS.
Simcoe Muskoka
Ontario
Technical Notes
Simcoe Muskoka
The following graph shows the number of invasive GAS cases in Simcoe Muskoka between 2000 and 2021. There have been between 10 and 64 cases of invasive GAS cases every year in Simcoe Muskoka since 2000. In 2021, 34 cases of invasive GAS were reported in Simcoe Muskoka. The increase in cases in 2018, can be explained, in part, by a cluster of cases in individuals who are underhoused or experiencing homelessness.
Ontario
The following graph shows the incidence rate of invasive GAS in Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario between 2000 and 2021. In 2021, the incidence rate in Simcoe Muskoka was 5.5 cases per 100,000 population while the incident rate in Ontario was 5.4 cases per 100,000.
The increases in the Simcoe Muskoka rate in 2007, 2011 and 2014 have been investigated with no evidence of clusters or links between cases. The increase observed in 2017 and 2018 appears to be related to an increase in cases among those experiencing homeless or who are underhoused.
There is some variability in the Simcoe Muskoka rate, which means that there are peaks and valleys and it is difficult to determine whether an increase is significant or whether it is within the expected range for this disease in these populations.
More detailed data for Ontario and each health unit can be found on Public Health Ontario’s interactive Reportable Disease Trends in Ontario tool.
Technical Notes
There are many factors that influence how many cases are reported to the health unit, as explained on the Infectious Diseases page. It is unclear to what extent the global COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the reporting and spread of other infectious diseases – counts and rates of disease since 2020 should be interpreted with caution.
Page last updated August 19, 2022