All About The Rare Flesh-Eating Bacteria That Nearly Killed a Woman in UK

A woman in the UK was rushed to hospital due to a rash that turned deadly.

Sometimes minor rashes become serious and sometimes even deadly. Something similar happened to a new mother in the UK. Shortly after giving birth to her son, she 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 bacterium is called necrotizing fasciitis. It is a bacterial infection that spreads very quickly within the body and becomes fatal. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), it usually enters the body through a break in the skin. To necrotize means to cause the death of the tissues. Fasciitis means inflammation of the fascia (the tissue under the skin that surrounds muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels).

Necrotizing Fasciitis: Everything You Need To Know About This Deadly Bacteria

It is not a condition that doctors encounter every day. However, there have been a significant number of cases around the world proving that this is a deadly bacterium that needs to be identified early so that medical professionals can take immediate action. It can destroy skin and muscle tissue, as well as subcutaneous tissue, which is the tissue under the skin. The bacteria eats the tissues inside.

How does it enter the body?

This bacterium can enter through breaks in the skin such as:

• bruises
• Insect bite
• puncture wounds
• Surgical wounds
• Burns

Blunt trauma is also a way for bacteria to enter the body, but it is not a break in the skin.

Early symptoms:

• Warm, red area of ​​the skin.
• swollen red area
• severe pain
• Fever

Symptoms arise at a later stage

• Blisters or blackheads
• Change in skin color.
• Pus
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Pain in the red, hot, swollen area

Treatment and Prevention

It is difficult to detect when and where a bacterium may come into contact, but one can simply take precautions. In this case, it is recommended:

• Wash your hands
• Maintain good hygiene
• Keep your wounds clean.
• Any time you have breaks in your skin, make sure it is clean and cared for.
• sell your wounds

Speaking of treatment, this rare bacterium once identified requires immediate action because it spreads like wildfire. Depending on the spread of the infection, medical professionals may provide antibiotics or may need to perform surgery to remove the dead cells and accumulated tissue.

What happened to the infected woman in the UK?

Charleigh’s story is like a cautionary tale about why and how one should care for their wounds. The 27-year-old mother gave birth and was rushed to hospital nearly six days later. According to a BBC report, doctors diagnosed her with necrotizing fasciitis and warned her family that she might not survive. “The doctors said my chances of survival were slim. I think they diagnosed me just in time,” Chatterton told the BBC, adding that her rash was as hot as a boiled kettle and she developed flu-like symptoms.

Later, she was heavily sedated for nearly three days, and doctors successfully performed surgery to remove the dead tissue.