Twelve Texans have died. The invasive group A streptococcal infections prompted the Texas Department of Health to add more suggested precautions to a previous list of steps people can take to reduce the risk of the infection or spot possible early signs of the illness. Parents should check frequently for signs of infection. Dr. Michael Kelley, the Health Department's communicable disease control bureau chief, said these symptoms are common to many illnesses and conditions. A streptococcus bacteria is the cause, he said.
Doctors say group A strep can destroy tissue and cause toxic shock or bleeding in the lungs.
Symptoms are sometimes like those of the common flu, along with a violent skin rash. The 72 cases reported so far have occurred in 19 counties, officials said. One case each has been reported from Bastrop, Burleson, Caldwell, Dallam, El Paso, Fort Bend, Hays, Lee, Lubbock, Montgomery, Tarrant, Washington and Williamson counties. Twenty-five of the confirmed cases were in children and 47 in adults. Of the 12 deaths, four were children and eight were adults.