Alberta infants tested negative for flesh eating disease

Alberta infants tested negative for flesh eating disease

Two infants were admitted in hospital in Lethbridge under suspicion of flesh-eating disease. These infants were than transferred to Calgary. Dr. Richard Musto said that reports of these children have shown absence of the organism necrotizing fasciitis.

He dispelled all the fear related to spread of this disease in children. He added that these two cases were mere coincidence.

Organism necrotizing fasciitis, popularly known as flesh-eating disease, affects layers of tissue surrounding muscles in the body. It causes painful swelling of the skin initially than the skin often turns purple and dies.

The disease is caused by a number of different bacteria, including group A streptococcus and clostridium. Ten percent cases out of 20 per cent cases out of flesh-eating disease are fatal. It is treated by aggressive surgery and extensive antibiotic treatments.

According to statistics, there are less than 200 cases of flesh-eating disease in Canada each year.

In his statement, Dr. Musto said, "The children had very significant infections and we've done the work to make sure there was no outbreak in care in the hospital and no reason at all that we can find to explain why they would have gotten the infection. There seems to be no relationship between the two at all. "

He assured pregnant women in Lethbridge about absence of any epidemic of flesh-eating disease in Lethbridge. He told that infected children were born different days in different delivery room, by different staff and they are from different communities.

Region Vice-president Donna Speltstelmachovich of the Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge said that the infants didn’t get this infection at hospital. Moreover health authorities are doing the needful.

Image Source: wormsandgermsblog.com

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