All of the new ponds and standing water that have popped up across the San Diego, California area after recent heavy rains are hard to miss.
Doctors are advising locals to be careful around these waters if they have a cut even as small as a bug bite because of bacteria that could be floating in the water.
Jeff Bova chased his dog into a pond rain created three weeks ago and picked up a flesh-eating bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis.
Bova’s mom, Susan McIntyre, said the infection started as a small red spot on his arm, became swollen and then turned into something much worse.
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“Oh, it was just, it was nasty," McIntyre said.
Bova didn’t like going to the doctor and tried to heal himself, she said. By the time he couldn’t handle the pain anymore and went to the hospital, it was too late. He died two days later.
“It's hard and everything just happened so fast," McIntyre said.
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Dr. Shweta Warner, who specializes in infectious diseases, said necrotizing fasciitis isn't contagious, but it’s rare and serious. It kills 20% of the people it infects, she said.
“It enters your body through your broken skin barrier, and it quickly reproduces in your tissue, moving through the tissues very rapidly and giving off toxins," Warner explained.
Warner said Streptococcus A, a bacteria that causes necrotizing fasciitis, is often found in warm, brackish water. It's especially dangerous for people with weaker immune systems, like Bova.
McIntyre said Bova was a handyman and enjoyed making something out of the weird things you wouldn't think anybody could use. He showed his passion for his handiwork up to his last words to his mom, when he promised to finish the wood stove he was building for her.
McIntyre and Warner have the same message: If you notice a sore that turns red, or swells, go get it checked immediately. Necrotizing fasciitis spreads within hours.
Necrotizing fasciitis can cause skin infections in pets as well. Warner recommends keeping your pets' wounds covered.
What are the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis?
According to the CDC, these are possible symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis:
- a red or swollen area of skin that spreads quickly
- severe pain
- fever
- dizziness
- changes in the color of the skin
- one or more black spots on the skin
- ulcers or blisters on the skin
Learn more at the CDC advisory page here.
