Girl gets flesh-eating disease

2004-05-10 10:59

Singapore - A rare flesh-eating disease afflicting a three-year-old girl in Singapore was not diagnosed until nine days after she became ill, it was reported on Monday.

A tiny black spot of dead flesh on the child's right index finger, spotted by a nurse at Mount Alvernia Hospital, was the only clue the youngster was infected with necrotising fasciitis, The Straits Times said.

Necrotising fasciitis occurs when bacteria found naturally on the skin surface goes under the skin, often through a cut or bruise, and starts destroying soft tissue and the fascia, the thin sheath covering the muscle.

The only way to stop it is to cut away the affected areas, Associate Professor Paul Tambyah, an infectious disease expert at the National University Hospital, told the newspaper. If not, the infection spreads quickly and is almost always fatal.

How the girl became infected remains a mystery. Her two brothers are fine. She had to undergo surgery because of severe swelling that prevented her from urinating.

Four days after the operation, on April 16, the nurse noticed the telltale black spot that is common in cases of necrotising fasciitis.

In Canada last week, one woman died and a man was in a serious condition when they contracted the illness after having surgery in the same hospital. The man is reportedly recovering, but those who came into close contact with the two were given antibiotics in case they were infected.

- SAPA