Now to something every
single female needs to hear.
There's been a rash of toxic shock
syndrome cases reported in Wisconsin,
the most in more than a decade.
And it made their health department say,
we're launching an investigation.
Doctors are saying these latest infections
are associated with using tampons.
This is serious.
Toxic shock can lead to death.
But as Jennifer found out,
there's a longstanding misconception
that even I have had my whole life
that wearing a tampon for too long,
that can kill you.
Right, Jennifer?
Yeah, there's a lot of us.
We have all heard that.
We've probably been taught that, too.
But experts say despite trying
to protect Women's Health,
that's where that came from.
They wanted to do that.
Tampons alone do not cause
this toxic shock syndrome.
As for those cases in Wisconsin,
the state's health department says four
of the five were associated with super
absorbency tampons that teenage girls,
in fact used.
No deaths were reported,
but they were hospitalized for some
pretty severe symptoms that can include.
Done fever,
low blood pressure and even a rash.
The last time that there were
multiple cases like this was when
just two were reported back in 2011.
So seeing 5 cases over the course of
a five or six month period certainly
caught our attention and you know
it highlighted I think the need for
some outreach and education to this
newer generation of of tampon users.
Right, so experts say it's important
for adults to talk to teenagers
about properly using tampons.
But this is a very complicated topic.
It's one that has led to mixed
messaging and really a deep fear
that anyone who menstruates is at
risk when that is just not the case.
To better explain what leads
to toxic Shock syndrome,
we turn to Purdue University
history Professor Cherif Austral,
who also writes extensively about
what she calls a health crisis that
first made news back in the 70s.
It just was very frightening to think,
wait, this tampon could kill me?
She says. That link was
necessary to help save lives,
but simplifying the facts has now led
to long standing misinformation. Why
is this so complicated to understand
this is only related to tampon use.
That's the first thing.
But people have to know.
The second thing is that it
requires a few different components.
First, a tampon introduces
oxygen into the vagina,
which is essentially considered
a food source for a particular
bacteria that not everyone carries.
But it is the 2nd component
that can lead to toxic shock,
and 3rd some people haven't yet developed
the antibodies to fight against it.
Those three things are hard to explain,
and it's why more younger people contract
it than older people because their immune
systems haven't developed. Entirely.
It's also why doctors still suggest
using a low absorbency tampon and
changing it up to every six hours
and to not wear them overnight.
The easiest way, Bostel says,
to avoid such a horrible illness
outside of noninvasive testing
for that bacteria in antibody, do
you think that that's something that
should be taught more in depth, say,
in school? I think we can teach
young children, menstruators,
people coming to their first periods
about TSS and a biological way.
I think that would help.
So, Jenna, the good news is
toxic shock can be treated with
antibiotics and there are some other
treatments too that can prevent,
say, dehydration and organ failure
that can often come along with
it. Well, you brought up schools that
it was something that we talked about,
especially those of us in The
Newsroom that have periods,
and we remembered not being
taught a lot about it.
So is this being taught now?
It's a good question.
So we checked in with the Minnesota
Department of Education 1st and
that does not set very specific
curriculums on these topics, so.
Really, it's up to every
individual district to decide.
Saint Paul, for example,
telling me tonight it covers
this topic during 6th, 7th,
and 8th grade classes,
which is all part of the human
relations and Reproductive Health Unit.
We also checked in with Anoka Hennepin.
That follows some national standards, Jenna.
And so that requires health classes
in both 6th and 10th grade to
cover some of those topics as well.
Got
it. Does the health department in
Wisconsin have any idea what's
causing what's going on there right
now? That's important, right?
Because this really is a rash,
a huge number of cases.
They haven't seen in a long time.
Right now it appears to be a coincidence.
There's no evidence that anybody
did anything wrong or that any
one brand of tampon is unsafe.
That's important too.
They reiterated that the risk of of
what's happening here is is all similar,
regardless of what brand you use,
and just really quick.
We also did check in with the
Minnesota Department of Health.
It says that it has not recorded
any unusual number of cases too,
so there's not a connection
between states either.
And
is there any other way to acquire toxic
Shock syndrome if you don't use? Pods, good
question. Yeah.
Remember, you have to have
that certain type of bacteria.
So if it's present,
there's a chance you can get it.
And that has been associated with
both surgical wounds and childbirth.
So a lot of information here to digest,
I think, for all of us.
Yeah, I learned more just now than
I did in all of middle school.
Right. Alright, thanks so much.