Two Women Treated For ‘Flesh-Eating Bug’ At Irish Maternity Hospital

Two women were treated for a rare flesh eating disease at Letterkenny University Hospital in Donegal this summer.  Both maternity unit patients developed Necrotising Fasciitis, a fast-spreading bacterial skin infection that kills the body's soft tissue. In serious cases, the disease can lead to limb loss and can potentially be life-threatening. The hospital said the cases, in May and June, were unconnected. A spokesperson told The Irish Times:

“There were two unconnected confirmed cases of Necrotising Fascilitis in LUH earlier this year in the maternity unit. Necrotising Fascilitis is a relatively rare condition. It is not a contagious infection, so other patients were not at risk.

“As the infection resides with the mother post-delivery, there is no risk to the baby.

“Standard treatment was applied to address the condition, including regular surgical debridement and antibiotic administration.”

Necrotising Fascilitis is a Strep A infection, described by the HSE as 'a type of gangrene'. It usually enters the body via a wound, injury or other type of trauma and patients with weakened immune systems are particularly at risk.

Thankfully they are rare, with invasive strep A infections affecting only one in every 33,000 people in any given year in Ireland. They are also unlikely to spread from person to person.

For further information on preventing, identifying and treating Strep A infections, click here.