Anyone can get TSS--not just women. People who don't have the necessary antibodies to fight off TSS can be infected through cuts in the skin, after having the flu, or from infections following burns, boils, insect bites or surgery.
Women between the ages of 15 and 30 have the highest risk of TSS and most infection cases for women are related to tampon use. Today, TSS occurs in about 17 of every 100,000 menstruating women and girls each year. More than half of these cases are connected to tampon use and nearly 5-10 percent of patients die from TSS.
