'It's scary': Invasive strep A strain sends Regina woman to hospital

A Regina woman is now back home after being hospitalized with an invasive strain of strep group A.

Donalda Kent was hospitalized for three days at Regina General Hospital after being diagnosed with the bacterial infection.

“She had laboured breathing and didn’t look right,” said her husband, Colin Lovequist. “We chalked it to food poisoning or a bug.”

“Then it hit fast and furious,” he added.

It was discovered Kent had contracted an invasive strain of strep group A.

Lovequist described his wife’s joints to have large swelling and cellulitis. She also experienced excruciating pain.

“It’s scary,” he said. “After three weeks, you would think there would be some alleviation of pain and discomfort. But it’s still there.”

Donalda Kent’s joints swelled due to an invasive Strep A infection. (Courtesy: Colin Lovequist)

Infections from group A streptococcus bacteria are typically mild and can cause strep throat, which is usually treated with antibiotics. More severe and invasive infections are much less common, but potentially deadly.

“It can have serious consequences,” Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) Medical Health Officer Dr. Simon Kapaj told CTV News.

Dr. Kapaj says the most common side effects are lung or muscle infection and even blood poisoning.

“It’s life threatening,” he added.

The SHA does not track invasive strep A cases in the province but Dr. Kapaj did note an increase in reported cases.

Canada's public health agency has logged a record number of potentially deadly strep A infections, particularly in children under the age of 15. At least six children have died in Ontario.

As of Jan. 9, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has received more than 4,600 invasive group A streptococcus samples from 2023, which is the highest annual total ever recorded in Canada and a more than 40 per cent increase over a previous 2019 peak of 3,236 samples.

According to PHAC, invasive group A streptococcus is endemic in the country, with 2,000 to 3,000 cases reported annually in recent years.

"Early laboratory data indicates that [invasive group A streptococcus] disease activity in 2023 was higher compared to pre-pandemic years," a PHAC spokesperson said in an emailed statement shared with CTVNews.ca. "The largest increases continue to be detected in children under 15 years of age."

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A Jan. 11 report from Public Health Ontario says that 48 people have died from strep A infections in the province since October, including 23 people aged 65 or older and six children under the age of nine.

"This is higher than the proportion of [invasive group A streptococcus] cases within the same age group that had a fatal outcome reported in the same reporting period for the previous season… and exactly half of the total number of pediatric deaths reported in the entire 2022-23 season," the Ontario report said.

Provinces like B.C, Manitoba and New Brunswick have also reported a recent increase in cases.

“If someone has a sore throat or fever, but no cough or anything else, best to be seen and tested for strep and treated,” Montreal Children’s Hospital pediatric infectious disease director Dr. Earl Rubin said.

Lovequist wants people to take all symptoms seriously as soon as they appear.

“If you let it go too long, it’ll evolve into something a lot worse that can probably be treated immediately,” he said.

Dr. Kapaj said individuals can greatly reduce the possibility of invasive strep A by being up to date on recommended vaccines and practicing good hygiene, like hand washing.

-With files from Daniel Otis