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Volume 32, Number 6—June 2026
Synopsis
Group A Streptococcus Disease Outbreak Associated with Large Congregate Shelter, Chicago, Illinois, USA, October 2023–January 2024
Karrie-Ann Toews1, Lauren Tietje, Anne Meyers, Marco Ciaccio, Stephanie Gretsch, Alyse Kittner, Kendall Anderson, Matthew Bertagna, Elizabeth S. Davis, Stockton Mayer, Rebecca M. Singer, Margaret Mary Butler, Diana Arce-Garza, Thomas D. Huggett, Ryan Fabrizius, Jennifer Levy, Stephanie Black, Sopio Chochua, Christopher J. Gregory, and Michelle Funk1
Table
Characteristics of 426 persons screened for group A Streptococcus during point prevalence survey screening in large congregate shelter, Chicago, Illinois, USA, November 20, 2023–January 3, 2024*
| Characteristic | Identified through RADT, no. (%) | Identified through culture, no. (%) | Negative, no. (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total |
114 (100) |
52 (100) |
260 (100) |
| Resident |
114 (100) |
51 (98.1) |
258 (99.2) |
| Staff |
0 (0) |
1 (1.9) |
2 (0.8) |
| Sex | |||
| M | 54 (47.4) | 21 (40.4) | 108 (41.5) |
| F | 60 (52.6) | 30 (57.7) | 152 (58.5) |
| Not reported |
0 |
1 (1.9) |
0 |
| Age group, y | |||
| 0–17 | 61 (53.5) | 32 (61.5) | 135 (51.9) |
| 18–29 | 27 (23.7) | 14 (26.9) | 57 (21.9) |
| 30–39 | 22 (19.3) | 6 (11.5) | 52 (20.0) |
| 40–49 | 4 (3.5) | 0 | 13 (5.0) |
| 50–59 | 0 | 0 | 2 (0.8) |
| ≥60 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.4) |
| Unknown |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Room | |||
| A | 42 (36.8) | 21 (40.4) | 87 (33.5) |
| B | 31 (27.2) | 14 (26.9) | 81 (31.2) |
| C | 3 (2.6) | 3 (5.8) | 6 (2.3) |
| D | 10 (8.8) | 5 (9.6) | 26 (10.0) |
| E | 13 (11.4) | 3 (5.8) | 25 (9.6) |
| F | 5 (4.4) | 0 | 7 (2.7) |
| G | 2 (1.8) | 0 | 7 (2.7) |
| H | 1 (0.9) | 3 (5.8) | 1 (0.4) |
| Unknown or unverified | 7 (6.1) | 1 (1.9) | 18 (6.9) |
| NA |
0 |
2 (3.8) |
2 (0.8) |
| Symptoms | |||
| Fever | 76 (66.7) | 29 (55.8) | 162 (62.3) |
| Sore throat | 102 (89.5) | 43 (82.7) | 212 (81.5) |
| Headache | 72 (63.2) | 26 (50.0) | 146 (56.2) |
| Nausea | 29 (25.4) | 17 (32.7) | 93 (35.8) |
| Vomiting | 21 (18.4) | 11 (21.2) | 55 (21.2) |
| Abdominal pain | 25 (21.9) | 17 (32.7) | 71 (27.3) |
| Difficulty breathing |
35 (30.7) |
21 (40.4) |
108 (41.5) |
| Antibiotics prescribed | 112 (98.2) | 32 (61.5) | 73 (28.1) |
*Two cases had indeterminate results and are not included in this table. NA, not available, RADT, rapid antigen detection test.
1These authors contributed equally to this article.
Page created: April 20, 2026
Page updated: May 15, 2026
Page reviewed: May 15, 2026
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