18 Feb 2009
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (February 18) received a report of a necrotizing fasciitis case (flesh-eating disease) involving a 48-year-old man.
The patient returned from Shenzhen on February 15 with fever and bilateral lower limb swelling. He immediately attended Accident and Emergency Department of Pok Oi Hospital and was then transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital for further treatment. The patient's condition continued to deteriorate and he passed away on February 18.
Laboratory tests on his blood and tissues of lower limbs yielded Vibrio vulnificus, a type of bacteria causing necrotizing fasciitis.
A CHP spokesman said necrotizing fasciitis was a serious bacterial infection of the soft tissue and fascia. It can destroy tissue and can cause death within 12 to 24 hours after infection.
Members of the public are reminded to adopt the following preventive measures:
* Avoid exposure of open wounds or broken skin to seawater or salty water;
* Wounds should be thoroughly cleansed and properly covered;
* Wear thick rubber gloves when handling raw shellfish;
Patients should seek medical advice promptly if they developed symptoms and signs of infection like increasing redness, pain and swelling.