Necrotizing Fasciitis

By: Victor Mota Sarah Alvarez

Explanation• Necrotizing fasciitis is a skin eating

bacteria that can destroy the skin, fat and tissue covering the muscle in a very short time.

• Very rare but serious disease. About 1 out of 4 people die from it.

• Even the healthiest person can acquire this disease but mainly people who have:

-A weak immune system.-Cuts in your skin, including surgical wounds.-Used steroids, which lowers your body’s resistance to infection. Etc.

Necrotizing fasciitis is caused by several kinds of bacteria, such as strep throat and impetigo. You can get necrotizing fasciitis when a bacterium enters a wound, such as from an insect bite, a burn, or a cut. You can also receive it in: • Wounds that come in contact with ocean and salt water fish. And from injuries from handling crabs. • An intestinal surgery site, or in tumor or gunshot injuries in the intestine. • Even a muscle strain or bruise without a break in the skin. The bacteria can be passed from person to person by touching the wound but this rarely happens unless the person has chicken pox, wound, or an impaired immune system.

It is caused by:

Symptoms: The symptoms occur after an injury and you feel pain throughout 24-36 hours. The infection can spread rapidly. Necrotizing fasciitis can lead to organ failure and death. Some symptoms are: • Skin that is red, swollen and hot to the touch. • Fevers and chills.• Nausea and vomit.• Diarrhea.

Treatment: The doctor will diagnose your infection based on how suddenly your symptoms started and how quickly the infection is spreading. The infected tissue may be tested for bacteria. You also may need X-rays, a CT scan, or an MRI to look for injury to your organs or to find out how much the infection has spread. Early treatment is critical, the sooner you are treated the more chance you will recover. The treatments are: • Amputation.• Medicine that kills the bacteria. • Procedures to treat complications such as shock, breathing problems, and organ failure.• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy.To prevent this it’s quite easy just wash your hands, and keeps wounds clean.

Podcasts and videos:

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Podcast

Graph:The white states represents the states that never got any report of this flesh eating bacteria.