Keeping Our Foot on the GAS

TED-Style Talks

In September 2025, a CDC team deployed to Missoula, Montana to respond to a cluster of Group A Streptococcus infections among unhoused individuals. These infections often begin through small skin breaks such as wounds and can escalate to severe illness requiring IV antibiotics or surgery.

Working alongside local and state partners, we used a community-based participatory approach, holding focus groups with people experiencing houselessness and conducting site visits with service providers. What we heard directly shaped action, from designing wound care kits to identifying how and where information would reach people.

This presentation shares the behind-the-scenes collaboration that made this response possible across federal, state, local, and community partners. It highlights how centering community voices translated into practical, targeted interventions for preventing infections.