Group A strep, and in particular necrotizing fasciitis or flesh-eating disease is on the rise in Manitoba.

Southern Health-Santé Sud Doctor Denis Fortier says this particular strain of strep is more virulent than others.

"It is definitely of concern," says Fortier. "I really do not want people to press any panic buttons, because strep infections are just part of our life in general."

Southern Health-Santé Sud Medical Services CMO Vice President, Denis FortierHe says there are many types of strep infections out there, all sorts of kinds, some that are bad, some that are not so bad.

Fortier says at the moment there have not been any cases within the Southern Health Region, but he says suspected cases in the past have been sent to health care centres in Winnipeg.

Recently, a woman died from a severe strep A infection that caused septic shock. She contracted the disease in an Ontario hospital, dying 72 hours after giving birth to her baby boy. Last year, a Manitoba woman lost three of her limbs from flesh-eating disease that was mistaken for the flu.

Fortier notes patients and physicians are more aware of the existence and seriousness of Strep A.

"That plays in part to the increasing diagnoses or the increased number of statistics, because we're actually trying to track this now," says Fortier.

Strep A is random, unpredictable and still rare. Fortier says we shouldn't be losing any sleep over it. He notes the problems associated with this disease, and symptoms to watch out for.

"Group A strep causes a whole host of other problems," Fortier says. "It can cause kidney problems, it can cause heart problems...so when you have a sore throat with some white plaques in your throat and a fever, or if you have an open sore that suddenly becomes infected and painful, those are certainly indications where anyone should at least be seen by their primary care provider, and in the absence of that, perhaps an emergency care physician."

Signs of flesh-eating disease, or necrotizing fasciitis, are open wounds that swell up and get hot and red really quickly and more painful than most infections. Fortier warns the chances for this are pretty slim.

He adds the treatment for group A strep is antibiotics, specifically penicillin.

It's reported that every year in Manitoba there are about 12-20 cases of flesh-eating disease.