Flesh Eating Disease Caused By Killer Bacteria – Necrotizing Fasciitis
Nothing is more terrible than a disease which eats your flesh! Well, unfortunately, such a disease exists and it’s known as Necrotizing fasciitis: an illness in which bacterias make their way into the blood stream, and eventually end up eating away the host’s muscles and fat tissues. Yes, it can make people look like the dead bride.
Necrotizing fasciitis has a very quick and severe progression and if immediate medical action is not taken, the flesh eating disease causes death! Let’s have a look at some of the most interesting cases of people who suffered from this terrible flesh eating disease.
It contains disturbing graphics.Viewer’s discretion advised.
What Is Necrotizing fasciitis?
The more common name for Necrotizing fasciitis is flesh-eating disease in which certain types of bacteria, find their way into the blood stream, and reach the deeper layers of skin and other tissues, where they simply start to devour the muscle and fatty tissues. Now, even though it sounds terrifying, this rare disease mostly happens to organisms which have a weakened immune systems, like the elderly, or those who suffer from diabetic or those who for different reasons take immunosuppressants.
Who Causes the flesh eating disease?
Meet Group A streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes), he’s the most frequent cause of Necrotizing fasciitis. This bacteria is commonly known for causing the so called “strep throat” but in some cases, like the ones we discussed above, the bacteria causes extreme damage, eating away tissues and eventually causing death due to sepsis. Even though the strep infection is the most common cause of the flesh eating disease, Staphylococcus aureus is gaining territory and causing it’s own damage.
What is there to do?
Well, is doctors do not intervene fast (and the chances are, they might not catch it on time) many cases end with massive amputations of extended areas of the body. The correct immediate action is high doses of intravenous antibiotics, but if the onset was confusing, the bacteria could already do enough damage to lead to amputations and skin grafts. If you frequently go to places where you interact with a lot of people, do not forget to use disinfectant gel, if soap is not available.
Any infection, however minor it may seem to you, if it happens to progresses and become swollen, and especially if it’s accompanied by diarrhea and vomiting, do not hesitate to go to the doctor, it may save your arms and legs, and ultimately, your life!
In the video below, you can see the evolution in pictures of a person’s wounds from Necrotizing fasciitis.
Terrifying Cases Of Flesh Eating Disease
1. Aimee Copeland
The most recent case of someone suffering from this terrible flesh eating disease is that of a 24-year old girl from Georgia. Aimee Copeland contracted the killer disease in a simple, accident after catching a part of her leg in a zip lining accident. Aimee went kayaking on a creek with her friends, and they all decided to ride a handmade zip line along the water. Unfortunately, the improvised zip line snapped and Aimee’s calf. She was rushed to the emergency room where she was stitched up, but two days later, her leg was unsalvageable.
She has already lost one leg, which was amputated from the hip, and both her hands, but her doctors are confident they still have a shot at winning the war against the flesh eating bacteria.
Watch her story in the video below:
2. Lana Kuykendall
Instead of taking care of her new-born twin babies, Lana Kuykendall spent her post-birth das fighting for her life in a battle against a flesh eating disease. A few days after giving birth, she was released from the hospital, only to return 12 ours later with Necrotizing fasciitis devouring her leg. It initially started out like a bruise, the size of her palm, but within hours, the infection spread and the wound tripled in size. Doctors removed the necrotic tissue from her leg, and were able to avoid amputation, and the 30-year-old woman is showing signs of improvement. Check out her story in the video below:
3. Kate White
Kate White thought an insect had bit her when she first had a look at a sore on her elbow, but just like the other cases, but when she saw her elbow getting larger in size, she went to the doctors for help. She was wrongfully diagnosed with a tennis elbow, and sent home. Within a matter of days, she was hallucinating from the pain, and soon slipped into a coma due to the Necrotizing fasciitis. Large portions from her arm were removed, and doctors were able to salvage her arm with skin grafts from her leg.
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