Read on the app
Flesh Eating Bacteria Infection: People were not yet completely out of the fear of the Covid-19 pandemic when another flesh-eating bacteria has created panic among the people. This flesh-eating bacterial infection, which is causing panic in Japan, is known as Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) or ‘flesh-eating bacteria’. This deadly infection can prove fatal for the victim within 48 hours. About 1,000 cases of this deadly infection have been reported in Japan. It is being said that the mortality rate of this infection is 30 percent. About 77 people have died from this infection between January and March. Last year, 97 deaths occurred due to this infection.
What is Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS)-
According to the CDC, STSS is a rare but serious bacterial infection that occurs when bacteria enter the body’s internal tissues and blood and release toxins. This causes the body to react fatally. A person suffering from this disease may develop symptoms such as low blood pressure, swelling in the body and multiple organ failure.
Symptoms of Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome-
A person suffering from STSS initially experiences symptoms like fever, chills, nausea, muscle pain and vomiting. The worrying thing is that within 24 to 48 hours it can cause life-threatening problems like low blood pressure, multiple organ failure, rapid heartbeat and difficulty in breathing. Group A Streptococcus (GAS) usually causes strep throat in children, but in adults it can cause severe symptoms like pain in the arms and legs, muscle pain, swelling, fever and low blood pressure.
How to prevent flesh-eating bacteria?
-To avoid STSS, a person should take special care of cleanliness. For this, wash hands thoroughly before and after eating food.
-Make sure to include habits like covering your mouth while coughing or sneezing in your routine.
-Do not leave any wound open. This is because this bacteria can spread rapidly in people who have open wounds on their body. Keep the wound clean and consult a doctor immediately if symptoms of infection appear. By doing this, the bacteria can be prevented from spreading in the body and causing STSS.
-To detect STSS, doctors conduct several blood tests. Through which the health of the body organs is checked along with the detection of Group A Streptococcus bacteria.
-STSS is treated with antibiotics. These medicines help eliminate the bacteria.