A MAN has been struck down by a rare and deadly flesh-eating bug after going on a weekend kayaking trip.
Ricky Rutherford, 41, from Waterloo in the US state of Alabama, is said to be fighting for his life after going on the trip with his wife Cassey at Second Creek on July 6.
After returning home he went to work but came home with a temperature of 39C (103F) and complaining of cramp in his leg.
He just assumed he was just suffering the effects of working on his feet all day in hot temperatures, WAFF 48 reported.
He went to work again the following day but found he could hardly walk when he got home and when he got undressed found his leg was red and swollen.
Cassey said: “We immediately went to the ER last night and they told us it was cellulitis possibly contracted from our kayaking trip Saturday and treated him with IV antibiotics and sent him home with two more.
“They told him if there was any change to come back.”
His condition only got worse though and according to Cassey his temperature had risen to 40.5C (105F) by the next day.
Cassey rushed her husband back to the emergency room where doctors then suspected it was a flesh-eating bacteria and ran some tests.
What is necrotizing fasciitis?
It’s a rare bacterial infection which spreads quickly throughout the body and can be deadly.
Rapid treatment with antibiotics and prompt surgery are needed to stop the infection.
Even though the bacteria doesn’t eat the flesh, it damages the surrounding tissue.
Dr Karen Landers, Medical Officer for the Northern/Northeastern Districts with the Alabama Department of Public Health, said it is a rare disease which can be very serious and prompt medical attention is needed.
The condition affects the tissue beneath the skin and surrounding muscles and organs.
Early symptoms can include:
- a small but painful cut or scratch on the skin
- intense pain that’s out of proportion to any damage to the skin
- flu-like symptoms
After a few hours you may develop
- swelling and redness in the painful area – the swelling will usually feel firm to the touch
- diarrhoea and vomiting
- dark blotches on the skin that turn into fluid-filled blisters
It is not usually spread between people.
Ricky then underwent surgery and doctors removed a 5-by-6-inch chunk of his leg from his inner thigh.
Tests later showed he had the flesh-eating bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis.
Cassey said in a Facebook post: My husband is fighting for his life right now because of this horrible thing! What seemed like a normal fun activity that we enjoyed as a family has turned into a nightmare!”
Between 700 and 1,200 cases of the disease have been recorded in the US since 2010.
Speaking to WAFF 38, she said Ricky did not have any open cuts or scratches but said the doctors had told her that did not matter.
Cassey said: There was nothing. But the doctors told us it could be a microscopic hole that it could come into and still spread like that.
“He’s never sick. He doesn’t even have a doctor. To know that he got that when the rest of us didn’t is insane.”
She added: “I don’t want anyone else to go through this.
“On Saturday, I was having to think about burying the love of my life.
“No one should ever have to go through that. Do not get in that water! It’s not safe.
“Don’t jeopardise your family for a day of fun. It’s right here in our backyard.”
David Bennet died from the same flesh-eating bug earlier this month after he had been jet ski riding in the Gulf of Mexico with his daughter and wife.
He died just 48 hours after becoming infected.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9523003/flesh-eating-bacteria-man-alabama/