There’s a second reported ‘flesh-eating’ case from Florida. Here’s how to avoid it
There is a second reported case of “flesh-eating” bacteria from waters in Florida.
This diagnoses of necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly and can kill, involves a tourist from Ohio who was boating and kayaking off Weedon Island in Tampa Bay in late March, reported WFTS ABC Action News.
When he returned home, his foot started to swell and soon black blisters crept up his leg an inch an hour.
“Looked like raw meat,” Barry Briggs and his wife, Nicole, told the news station.
On March 27, Nicole Myre Briggs created a Facebook group — Barry’s Medical Updates — to update friends and family on his progress.
Medical updates
On Monday, a nurse checked on the wound, which, post-surgery, has required plastic surgery skin grafts procedures. Some patches aren’t attaching as well as hoped, Nicole posted. Tuesday brings another visit to the doctor to check on Briggs’ healing.
“There’s just a couple spots that are “iffy” and may need another graft,” he posted on April 25. “As the healing continues the pain has increased some. But I’ve been told that it gets worse before it gets better.”
He posted graphic photos. Someone suggested his leg looked like “Freddy Kreuger,” the horribly scarred villain of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” horror film series from the 1980s.
Briggs is still fortunate. It could have been worse. He almost lost his foot as the tissues broke down. The severity: life-threatening, WLFA News Channel 8 reported.
Black bubbles
On April 13, another case of what doctors diagnosed as necrotizing fasciitis nearly cost Michael Walton of Pinellas County his hand.
Walton was fishing in the Gulf Coast when he was pricked by a little fishing hook that caused a small wound. He soon after saw black bubbles growing on his punctured hand, he told Tampa Bay’s ABC affiliate, WFTS.
Doctors at Tampa General Hospital determined he’d contracted necrotizing fasciitis, according to Newsweek.
Vibrio
Though rare in Florida, mecrotizing fasciitis can spring from numerous bacterias, one of them vibrio vulnificus, another skin infection disease that can be caused by exposing a wound to salt water or brackish seawater (and also to the consumption of contaminated seafood like raw oysters or shellfish). according to Florida’s Department of Health.
Most of these infections occur between May and the end of October when waters are warmer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes.
Tips on avoiding skin diseases
There are things you can do to minimize your risk of falling victim to Group A Streptoccocal diseases like necrotizing fasciitis as well as vibriosis, according to the CDC.
▪ Wound care can help prevent bacterial skin infections. Wash minor cuts, scrapes and injuries that break the skin, including blisters, with soap and water.
▪ Clean and cover draining or open wounds with a clean, dry bandage until they heal.
▪ Punctures and deep or serious wounds should result in a doctor’s visit as soon as possible.
▪ Avoid hot tubs, swimming pools and natural bodies of water like lakes, rivers and oceans if you have an open wound.
According to the CDC, there are no vaccines to prevent group A strep infections, including necrotizing fasciitis.
This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 12:18 PM.
