English
Sometimes minor rashes turn severe and sometimes even life-threatening. Something similar happened to a new mother in United Kingdon. Soon after giving birth to her child, narrowly escaped death according to UK media reports. Charleigh Chatterton, a 27-year-old woman shared her horrific experience with a rash that turned deadly.
This rare flesh-eating bacteria is called Necrotizing Fasciitis. It is a bacterial infection that spreads very quickly inside the body and turns fatal. According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), it usually enters the body through a break in the skin. Necrotizing means causing the death of tissues. Fasciitis means inflammation of the fascia (the tissue under the skin that surrounds muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels).
It is not a condition that doctors come across every day. However, there has been a significant number of cases across the world that prove that this is a deadly bacteria that must be identified on time so that prompt action can be taken by medical professionals. It can destroy the tissue in your skin and muscles as well as subcutaneous tissue, which is the tissue beneath your skin. The bacteria eats up the tissues inside.
How does it enter the body?
This bacteria may enter through skin breaks like:
Blunt trauma is also a way for the bacteria to enter the body but it is not a break in the skin.
Early Symptoms:
Symptoms Surface at Later Stage
When and where a bacteria may come in contact is difficult to spot, but one may simply take precautions. In this case, it is advised to :
Speaking of treatment, this rare bacteria once identified requires prompt action because it spreads like wildfire. Depending on the spread of the infection, medical professionals may provide antibiotics or will have to perform surgery to extract the dead cells and tissues accumulated.
Charleigh’s story is like a cautionary tale as to why and how one must take care of their wounds. The 27-year-old mother gave birth and was rushed back to the hospital nearly six days later. According to a report by BBC, doctors diagnosed her with necrotising fasciitis and warned her family she might not survive. “The doctors said my chances of survival were slim. I think I got diagnosed just in time,” Chatterton told BBC adding that her rash was as hot as a boiled kettle and she developed flu-like symptoms.
Later, she was highly sedated for almost three days and doctors successfully performed the surgery to remove the dead tissues.
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest Health News on India.com.
