Two die in North after flesh-eating infection
Two people have been killed by a flesh-eating bug in the North in the past six months, it emerged today.
The pair died at Craigavon Hospital, the most recent case two weeks ago, only hours after a fit and healthy woman was admitted.
The woman went to see her family doctor with a bruise that had developed into a swelling. When she was referred to the hospital, the swelling appeared sceptic and she was given strong antibiotics.
Despite later surgery to remove infected skin and tissue, the bug was well advanced and she died ten hours afterwards.
The man who died six months previously was also reported to be in a fit and healthy state.
The microbe involved is common with about one in five people carrying it in their upper respiratory system.
For reasons that remain a mystery to doctors, in rare cases some individuals' immune systems break down and they cannot cope with it.
