By Amy Grant, Medical Correspondent
Chicago,, IL, June 15, 1994 --Five separate cases of the now infamous "flesh-eating disease" have been reported in the United States in recent days. The latest case was reported in Denver, CO, where an unidentified woman is recovering from surgery to amputate her left arm and breast. Her identity is being withheld upon request of her family. She is among those that have fallen prey to a little know, but very virulent form of a disease that normally only causes "sore throats".
The Streptococcus A bacteria is a mutated strain of one that commonly causes "Strep Throat", a disease that seemingly passes through our school systems every Spring and Fall. But, this mutated strain takes a far great toll on it's sufferers. Unconfirmed reports in recent days include the deaths of eleven (11) people in Great Britain, and three deaths in the United States. It's latest victim is a 33 year old Michigan man, who succumbed to the disease on June 9,1994.
Medical authorities, however, point out that this latest "outbreak" is nothing new to medical science. They say that as many as 15,000 people suffer from this more serious form of Streptococcus A each year, but that it hasn't received the media coverage that it presently is being afforded. They also point out that it is difficult to ascertain if there is an increase in the number of cases, because most states do not require reporting of Streptococcus A infections. One emergency physician from Colorado said that people die everyday from a variety of infections, but that we don't pay them the attention that is being given the so-called "fleshing eating bacteria".
In fact, the Streptococcus A bacteria isn't "flesh eating"; it does produce toxins that deprive the cells of much needed oxygen. Ms. Sharon Wanglin, of the Los Angeles Dept. of Health, is quoted by the Reuters News Service as saying that "it's not something that people should be lying awake...worrying about...it's just a complication that crops up occasionally...it's not something that we need to emphasize".
Doctors say that they are currently experimenting with several different treatment regimes', but that the most favorable treatments seem to include the use of a variety of antibiotics, large amounts of intravenous fluids, and treatment in a hyperbaric chamber. Although controversial in some circles, hyperbaric oxygen (commonly used to treat scuba divers with "the bends') has seemed an essential part of the successful resolution of Streptococcus A.
According to Dr. Keith van Meter, of the Jo Ellen Smith Medical Center in New Orleans, the hyperbaric chamber forces oxygen into compromised cells and tissue, thus allowing the normal function of white blood cells that fight the infection. Doctors in New Orleans and elsewhere have been experimenting with the use of the Hyperbaric Oxygen to treat patients with gangrene and other infectious disorders, often with success.
Doctors also point out that Streptococcus A is not infectious in what is thought of as the traditional sense. It can not be spread by airborne dispersion, touching, or through fecal matter. It can, however, be spread by transmission of blood or body fluids. Emergency medical providers say that they can prevent the transmission of the disease by use of what are called "universal precautions", or the use of gloves, masks, and standard sanitary procedures.
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