Canadian military recruits at a military facility in Quebec were reluctant to seek medical care or use antibiotics during an outbreak of streptococcal infections earlier this year, according to a military medical journal.

Six recruits from the Saint-Jean Garrison were hospitalized, the Canadian military confirmed in early April. Of those there was one confirmed invasive Group A Streptococcal (GAS) case and one probable invasive GAS case, according to the Department of National Defence.

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But a new article in the academic journal, Military Medicine, noted that between December 2016 and April 2017, two cases of invasive Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections were reported, prompting authorities to declare that an outbreak had occurred.

Various measures were put into place. Defence Watch reported at the time that more than 1,800 military personnel had been given antibiotics after the outbreak of streptococcal infections at the Saint-Jean Garrison. “Reluctance to seek medical care, challenges in following cough etiquette, and low compliance with antibiotics were identified among recruits,” the Military Medicine article noted.

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The garrison, located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is the basic training base for recruits in the Canadian Forces.

“A GAS surveillance system was implemented and efforts to improve antibiotic compliance and medical consultation were recommended,” the article noted.

But the Canadian military is once again dealing with streptococcal infections at its facilities in Saint-Jean.

This time around, however, the Canadian Forces has declined to provide numbers of those who have streptococcal infections or who may have been hospitalized. But the military in an emailed response to Defence Watch’squestions submitted Aug. 17 is claiming that “we do not currently have an outbreak” at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School at the Saint-Jean Garrison in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. “We have a surveillance system in place and continue to monitor all respiratory illnesses that develop in recruits,” it noted in its email.

“Group A Strep (GAS) is a very common problem in military recruits,” the emailed added. “Of note, GAS is on the rise throughout Canada and there have been a number of outbreaks across the country recently. We suspect that the combination of increased GAS in the country/community as well as the situation of living, training in close proximity in the basic training environment makes recruits particularly susceptible.”

Group A streptococcus is found in the nose, throat and on the skin of healthy people. Those with no symptoms are referred to as carriers. It can cause milder illnesses, include strep throat and impetigo or more serious illness due to invasive infections.