The first case was in Gothenburg in 2010. Since then, 123 cases have been confirmed in the country. Now there have been so many confirmed cases that it can be assumed that it exists in the Stockholm region, reports Läkartidningen. Hedvig Glans, who is an infectious disease doctor at Karolinska Huddinge and a researcher at KI, is one of the co-authors of the article. She believes that the bacterium is still an unusual disease in Sweden.
– It probably has little to do with the need to have specific diagnostics that only Sahlgrenska has today. And if you don’t take samples for it, you won’t find the bacteria, says Hedvig Glans.
It is unclear how common the bacteria is
It can therefore be difficult to know exactly how common the bacterium is – there may be an unknown number.
– I think people in healthcare should start thinking about the disease more quickly and take samples so that we can map how common it is, says Hedvig Glans.
The disease can cause prolonged fever, night sweats, muscle aches and skin rashes. It can also increase the risk of blood clots. But the disease is easy to treat, says Hedvig Glans, and most people recover very quickly when given medication.
In the video: Hear Hedvig Glans explain when to react and seek care.