Guest Post by Mark Crispin Miller
The same global medical experiment that’s brought back leprosy is also making ever more of us susceptible to those grotesque infections
N.Y. resident latest to die from rare flesh-eating bacteria
August 17, 2023
Such stories have been popping up increasingly throughout the nation, and the world, for well over a year:
What to know about flesh-eating bacteria
May 5, 2022
Though warmer temperatures bring excitement for more water activities, they also can bring worries about safety surrounding those activities. An infectious diseases expert at Baylor College of Medicine shares what you need to know about a rare but often feared health concern: flesh-eating bacteria.
“Flesh-eating bacteria refers to an infection that spreads so rapidly that the skin and surrounding soft tissue starts to die,” said Dr. Stacey Rose, assistant professor of infectious diseases at Baylor. “This is still a rare condition but can be quite serious, especially for individuals who have a compromised immune system.”
According to Rose, the number one cause of infection due to flesh-eating bacteria, also known as necrotizing fasciitis, is group A strep, a common organism and the same bacteria that causes illnesses like strep throat. One of the reasons that strep spreads so quickly is it produces toxins that break down the skin, which is part of the problem when it comes to flesh-eating bacteria.
Besides strep, staph infection also can cause necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio vulnificus is a less common cause of the disease; the organism lives in warm marine water like that of the Gulf Coast. Though most people who come in contact with Vibrio don’t have any issues, there are some individuals who are more at risk for complications if they do. For example, individuals with immune-compromising conditions such as liver disease who go into bodies of water with what might seem like a minor cut could end up having a more serious infection.
Rose offers some tips to keep you and your loved ones safe this summer:
- Avoid bodies of water if you have an open wound
- Wash your hands with soap and water after any summertime activities
- If you incur a minor cut or injury while enjoying these activities, immediately clean those cuts or injuries with soap and water
- Keep your skin healthy—skin issues such as eczema or athlete’s foot can create a breakdown in the skin, which can predispose to bacterial infections
- If you have an immune-compromising condition such as liver disease, kidney disease or diabetes, be more cautious when you go into bodies of water, especially if you have an open wound
- Shower after any water activities
- Chlorinated waters are likely cleaner than non-chlorinated waters, but they are not without risk.
If you have redness or irritation on your skin that becomes warm, changes color and is spreading very rapidly or forming pustules, contact your doctor right away.
In addition to antibiotics, the treatment for flesh-eating bacteria involves cutting out dead tissue very quickly to keep the infection from spreading. The faster the surgeon can address the issue, the less tissue they will have to remove.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-05-flesh-eating-bacteria.html
A rare but dangerous flesh-eating bacteria is infecting Florida residents
October 19, 2022
Parts of Florida hit hardest by Hurricane Ian are seeing nearly double the normal number of infections from a flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in brackish floodwaters.
According to the Florida Department of Health, the state has seen 65 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections and 11 deaths from the bacterium in 2022. Lee County, where Ian made landfall on Sept 28 as a category 4 storm, accounts for 45% of the cases.
What is Vibrio vulnificus?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that Vibrio vulnificus lives in warm seawater and is a type of foodborne illness-causing bacteria called “halophilic” because they require salt to survive.
The bacteria population increases during the warmer summer months and may also see a boost after sewage spills into coastal waters, as it did during Hurricane Ian.
The storm brought more than 17 inches of rain over West-Central Florida, leading to surges of up to 12 feet.
Infections can lead to skin breakouts and ulcers
Vibrio vulnificus infections can be caused by eating undercooked oysters and shellfish.
But in the aftermath of a hurricane, infections typically start when open wounds, cuts or scratches come into direct contact with warm brackish water. Skin breakdowns and ulcers follow.
Severe illness from Vibrio vulnificus infections is rare. This is the first time the number of cases in Florida has risen above 50 since 2008, when the Florida Department of Health began reporting data on infections.
But for those with weakened immune systems from medication or chronic disease [or …. ], the infection can become life-threatening if the bacteria enter the bloodstream, leading to symptoms like diarrhea, abdominal cramping, vomiting, fever and chills.
Floodwater contact remains a big risk
When it comes to preventing infections, the Florida Department of Health reminds residents to remember that “water and wounds don’t mix.” It advises residents not to wade through standing water and to avoid eating or drinking anything that has touched floodwaters.
Those who do come into contact with floodwaters should immediately wash and clean all wounds. You should seek medical care if infections show signs of infection such as redness, oozing or swelling.
Overall risk will decrease as the Vibrio vulnificus population shrinks in late October, when Florida’s hot weather wanes.
A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health told CNN that the number of reported infections has already started to decrease since the hurricane first hit.
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/19/1129865243/flesh-eating-bacteria-florida-floodwater
Lee County health officials say stay out of the water and be wary on the beaches
January 31, 2023
[NB:]
Four months after Hurricane Ian, shards of debris have been washed onto the coast and lawns, and there is a spike in the number of cases of very dangerous flesh-eating bacteria.
Four months after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Southwest Florida, state health officials are again warning people to stay out of beach water, but this time their alert mentions the sand, too.
The Florida Department of Health’s unprecedented health advisory in Lee County comes after testing continues to find that Ian stirred up years’ worth of pollution on land, scuttled boats filled with gas and oil in bays and on beaches, and left behind shards of metal, glass and other dangerous debris along the shoreline.
Notable is the health department’s wholesale abandonment of the softer wording typically found in water quality advisories. Normally, there is a certain type of understatement inherent in beach advisories so as to not scare away tourists.
“Swimming is not recommended. You should assume that water contact may pose an increased risk of disease or illness,” health officials in Lee County wrote. “As a result of Hurricane Ian, debris remains in area beaches including debris buried under shallow sand and not immediately visible.”
Ian dropped more than a foot of rain and a storm surge up to 14 feet was pushed onshore. The stormwater became filled with the detritus of human life: nitrogen-rich fertilizer, human waste from faulty septic systems, animal, feces, microplastics and other chemicals from facemasks or cigarette butts dropped on the ground, oil and rubber from roadways, soot and grime from buildings and billboards and so on, hour after hour, as the slow-moving storm spun over the region.
As the hurricane moved inland, all that water flowed back out into the Gulf of Mexico by washing across roads and parking lots, backyards and beaches.
Flesh-eating bacteria
The scariest ailment on the rise since Ian is an infection by the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, which can lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies.
It’s better known to the public as flesh-eating disease.
The good news is it’s extremely rare. The bad news is everything else about it.
Missouri Man Dies From Flesh-Eating Bacteria In Oysters
June 16, 2023
A 54-year-old man from Missouri has died after consuming raw oysters and contracting Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria. The St. Louis County Department of Public Health conducted an investigation and found no evidence of foul play by the oyster shop. Vibrio infections are typically caused by consuming raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters. Exposing wounds to saltwater or brackish water can also cause them. While most cases of vibriosis are not fatal, they can lead to necrotizing fasciitis. This is a severe and potentially deadly flesh-eating bacterial infection. The CDC advises avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish and washing hands after handling raw shellfish. They also advise taking precautions with wounds exposed to seawater or raw shellfish to reduce the risk of Vibrio infections.
Dangerous bacterial infection has killed three NC residents this summer. What we know
August 2, 2023
A dangerous bacterial infection has killed three North Carolina residents this summer, officials said. The deaths were due to vibrio, a bacteria that is naturally found in brackish and saltwater. People can be exposed through open wounds or by eating shellfish or oysters that are raw or undercooked, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. “Vibrio cases in North Carolina are rare, with most cases being reported in the warmest months — June through September,” health officials wrote July 28 in a news release. “However, vibrio infections can cause severe illness.” The three people died in July. Though officials haven’t found evidence to link the cases together, investigations continue.
Florida fisherman recovering from ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria after sticking hand in popular lagoon
August 4, 2023
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A local fisherman is recovering after “flesh-eating” bacteria sent him to the emergency room. Daniel Richards loves to fish and boat in the Indian River Lagoon. He knows how prevalent bacteria is in warm water but didn’t realize how fast infections could spread in even the smallest of cuts. “It can kill you rather quickly within a few days,” said Daniel Richards who’s grown up around the Indian River Lagoon. Over a week after he was infected, he’s realizing he could have died after boating with friends. “I just dipped my hand in the water one time. It was just in an unfortunate location, and I guess my immune system wasn’t quite healthy at the time due to a previous accident, and it got me,” he added. The “flesh-eating” bacteria got into a centimeter size cut on his hand and quickly spread.
Sanford woman recovering from rare flesh-eating bacteria infection; family grateful for life-saving care
August 6, 2023
SANFORD, N.C. (WNCN) — A Sanford woman is recovering from a rare infection that many people do not survive. Two months ago, doctors raced to save the life of Tammy Russ, when she ended up in intensive care with necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria. In early June, Kevin Russ says his wife, Tammy, went from feeling fine to near death in less than a day. “Everything was fine — that was at five in the morning. She was chopping up peppers and onions for dinner that night,” he recalled. By afternoon, she’d called to say she had some type of infection in her thumb where, Russ said, she’d removed a callus. “Thirteen-and-a-half hours later, it had blown up,” he said, describing his wife’s hand. “It was all black and purple, just horrible looking, and I said, ‘You’re going to the emergency room,’ and she was really at death’s doorstep then. I couldn’t even hold her up.” An ambulance rushed her to Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford. “Luckily, when we got to the ER the doctor on duty knew immediately what the problem was,” said Russ. “She said it was necrotizing fasciitis, in simple terms flesh-eating bacteria.” The infection is rare and life-threatening. “It moves an inch an hour, so time was not on our side,” Russ explained. After days in a medically induced coma and several surgeries, Tammy Russ was stable enough to be flown to Duke Hospital where she received additional intense treatment. She’s home now, and although she lost a thumb, Russ says she’s healing well, and the whole family is grateful for the doctors who saved her life. “She got the best possible care,” he said.
Atlanta woman has leg amputated after being infected with flesh-eating bacteria
August 10, 2023
A local woman shares her story after being infected with a flesh-eating bacteria. She said it happened while she vacationed in the Bahamas. Military Veteran Jennifer Barlow said she remembered the last moments of her vacation to the Bahamas before her life turned for the worst, “Next thing I know, my knee started to bubble up, and I’m in the most pain that I’ve ever been.” Barlow said she went to the hospital as soon as she got back to Atlanta. She discovered a flesh-eating bacteria inside her: “I have never heard of Necrotizing Fasciitis.” Barlow was in a coma for ten days. When she woke up, she saw one of her legs was amputated, ” I almost died a few different times. I talked to several doctors, and they’re shocked that I just lost one leg. I’m so blessed because I’m told people normally lose multiple limbs.” “I underwent about 30 surgeries, and I know that sounds crazy, but yeah, it sounds crazy. Sometimes I was having two to three a week,” said Barlow. Barlow is now recovering, but many, including herself, are wondering how did this happen? Medical professionals believe it all happened while she was in the ocean in the Bahamas, through a cut on her leg. “They’re thinking. I mean, my doctors told me it could have happened from a Nic when I was shaving my legs that day and that the bacteria could have entered then.”
https://news.yahoo.com/atlanta-woman-leg-amputated-being-053224120.html
Second CT resident dies from flesh-eating bacteria, DPH says
August 15, 2023
Two of the three Connecticut residents who contracted a flesh-eating bacteria while either eating raw shellfish or swimming in the Long Island Sound have died, according to the state Department of Public Health. The second death occurred in late July, DPH spokesperson Chris Boyle said in an email Tuesday. The infection, derived from Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, is an extremely rare illness that is caused by either consuming raw shellfish or by exposing open wounds to salt or brackish water. The state hasn’t seen these infections since 2020. In the wake of the infections, the state Bureau of Aquaculture said Connecticut’s raw shellfish is safe to eat. The raw oysters that sickened one state resident were not harvested from Connecticut waters and were obtained from an out-of-state establishment, according to the agency. The bureau says it tests commercial oysters statewide and, with the most recent samples being collected on Aug. 1, the bacteria has not been detected in any samples. Health officials also regularly test 26 state beaches. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announces closures when unacceptable levels of Vibrio or E. coli are detected. Local and municipal health departments are in charge of monitoring other beaches. The three patients reported in Connecticut are between 60 and 80 years old and were all hospitalized. The agency announced the first death in a July 28 news release. According to DPH, one person consumed raw oysters from an out-of-state establishment, while the other two people were exposed to salt or brackish water in the Long Island Sound. The agency noted that both patients had open cuts or wounds, or sustained new wounds, when exposed to the water, which likely led to the infections.
Rare Flesh-Eating Bacteria Kills At Least 8; What You Need To Know
August 16, 2023
ACROSS AMERICA — Health officials are warning of a rare flesh-eating bacterium known as Vibrio vulnificus, found naturally in warm coastal waters, that has killed multiple people along the East Coast this summer. Two people died in Connecticut and another on Long Island after becoming infected, health officials in both states said this week. In the warmer coastal waters off Florida, where surface water temperatures have soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit this summer, 25 people have been infected with Vibrio vulnificus and five people have died, according to the Florida Vibrio infections are commonly associated with eating raw or undercooked oysters and other seafood, but also occur when people with open wounds or cuts come in contact with seawater or brackish water where the bacteria are present, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria is “extraordinarily dangerous,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said after a Long Island resident died as a result of the infection. People infected by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria often require intensive care or limb amputations, and about 1 in 5 die, often within a day or two of becoming ill, according to the CDC. People at greatest risk for illness from the infection are those with weakened immune systems and the elderly. Some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies, inspiring the “flesh-eating bacteria” moniker. The necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than one type of bacteria, according to the CDC.
https://patch.com/us/across-america/rare-flesh-eating-bacteria-kills-least-8-what-you-need-know
Spain
Man’s Rare [sic] Flesh-Eating Bacterial Infection Is Third Documented Case Ever
August 9, 2023
A man who contracted a flesh-eating bacterial infection in his right leg found that the infection had spread to his left one as well, a mere four days later. The 58-year-old man reported to the University Hospital Gregorio Marañon in Madrid, Spain, after experiencing pain and swelling in his right leg. He also had chest pain and a fever, according to a case report published in the journal Acta Biomedica. These are some of the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-rotting bacterial infection that destroys soft tissue, including fat, connective tissue and muscle. This is a rare case for a number of reasons. This is the first time that the two species found within the man’s wounds, Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus, have both been recorded together to be causing necrotizing fasciitis. And this case is the third time ever that multiple sites of infection have appeared across the course of several days. The authors wrote in the paper: “In most of reported cases of multifocal necrotizing fasciitis, injuries appear synchronously within hours from the initial diagnosis. It is the only third reported case with metachronous lesions, and the first that involves both S. pyogenes and S. aureus. Early diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment is mandatory to prevent fatal outcomes.”
Scotland
‘My bra scratched me, I got a flesh eating bug and part of my boob removed’
July 20, 2023
Sylvia Halcrow, a 53-year-old civil servant from Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, believes the metal in her underwire bra caused a scratch that eventually led to a dangerous bacterial infection known as necrotising fasciitis. Sylvia’s ordeal began in May 2022 when she noticed a lump on her breast, which quickly turned into a painful abscess. She saw her GP and was prescribed antibiotics, but the pain intensified over the course of a few days. Concerned about her deteriorating condition, Sylvia attended A&E. Doctors then undertook a series of tests on the abscess, which was on her right breast, and was diagnose with a bacterial infection called necrotising fasciitis. She said: “I just knew something wasn’t right and so I took myself to A&E, I was in so much pain. When I walked in the nurse looked at me and rushed me straight though. Sylvia spent two days in Gilbert Bain Hospital and was then flown by coast guard helicopter and prepped for surgery to remove the abscess at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, on May 5, 2022. She was told her organs were shutting down and had to undergo surgery. She was placed into an induced coma for eight days and woke to some of her breast removed and a 15 inch scar from her arm to her ribs.
Germany
Locally increased occurrence of periorbital necrotizing fasciitis
July 19, 2023
The disease of necrotizing fasciitis (NF) was already in the 5th Century BC observed by Hippocrates. She first received the designation from Wilson in 1952 (1). The cause is usually germ occurrences due to minor trauma. Mainly affected are extremities, but also groin region and abdomen; face and periorbital region are less often involved thanks to excellent blood circulation (2). Mortality in periorbital NF (PNF) is 10-14.4% lower than in other body regions (20 to 35%). Nevertheless, serious courses with septicaemia up to multi-organ failure are observed due to systemic toxicity (2). Through timely diagnosis and prompt adequate therapy, serious consequences (loss of vision, exitus) can be prevented. So far, the disease (incidence 0.24/1 million/year [3]) was considered very rare; the recently observed accumulation of cases of PNF at our clinic is noticeable. Five patients who presented with PNF at the university hospital of the LMU Munich are reported to be reported. The clinical findings are summarized in the table. All patients were male. Symptoms have existed for a maximum of three days. Clinically, periorbital redness appeared in all cases, as well as gngränose skin findings originating in the nasal eyelid angle (2/5 bilateral). Skin injuries as a possible entrance gate were not known anamnestically. Only one patient had diabetes. The imaging showed air inclusions (3/5) as well as padding and mirror formation of the paranasal sinuses (5/5), but no abscess formations. In all cases, there was a rapid deterioration of findings with septicemia (septic shock 4/5, multi-organ failure 1/5). Microbiologically, group A streptococci were detected, without antibiotic resistance. Systemic complications as a result of septicemia were observed in four out of five of our patients. These justify the mortality of PNF observed in the literature of 8.5-14.4% (2). This is a monocentric case series. Analyses at the national level are necessary to determine possible nationwide case increases and further microbiological studies to clarify the cause and assess the change in the virulence of group A streptococci. The observed locally increased volume gives reason to raise awareness of the PFN among the medical profession. Early diagnosis and prompt start of adequate high-dose antibiotic therapy combined with surgical debridement reduce the risk of mortality and morbidity. However, further analyses are required to confirm an increase in incidence and clarify possible causes.
And why is this grotesque affliction on the rise these last few years?
To “our free press” and its devoted followers, the answer is quite obvious:
Climate change is causing bacteria to move north, causing more ‘flesh-eating’ infections
March 24, 2023
https://www.insider.com/rare-flesh-eating-disease-rises-as-bacteria-move-north-2023-3
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We need a global warming vaccine.
Paging Ice 9, come in Ice 9
don’t give them ideas
Yeah, gettin’ boosted and jumping in the East river is a brilliant idea
I’m sure it is not related to any kind of immune deficiency brought on by government mandated poisonous concoctions, or any such thing.
In fact it’s not new, there was an article in a medical journal in 1996 if I recall well, the conclusion was that NSAIDs made bacteria ‘nasty’. Don’t forget to eat your daily Aspirin…
We no longer go to the gulf beaches, much pollution in the water and cases of bacterial infections. One of husbands co workers died from oysters in Orange Beach Ala. Raw sewage seeps into the gulf when tributaries/rivers flow into it recently causing some water treatment plants to overflow into streams nearby. Lots rain this summer in gulf states, these streams dump animal waste from farms when overflowing their banks into larger rivers on downstream.
Are you referring to people who got the clot shot? That just can’t be. The government guaranteed that they were safe and effective.
On a side note, there was an infomercial on Yahoo news advising people to get the new covid boosters and flu shots for the new strain of covid going around. I looked at the comments and was surprised to see that the majority (over 95%) were against getting any more clot shots. I do believe that people are learning the hard way not to trust the MIC (Medical Industrial Complex).
What could cause such a thing?
Whatever could it be?
1. This article is waaaaay to loooong.
2. Only 16 deaths, eh? When only 16 people die from something, guess what? I have zero fucks to give.
3. Fear mongering bullshit runs rampant throughout the United States. This can mean only one thing. The Rapture is imminent!!!
…that’s 16 ‘reported’ deaths…wake up meathead and join the real world…(!)…
The “rapture”, a recent creation of a conman and idea promoted by cults.
The only solution will be God’s great reset. And it’s coming soon. Those of you believing the so called rapture will save you are delusional, victims of a cult and you do not even realize it.
No one is going anywhere.
The gift that keeps on giving.