In April and May, two women died of a deadly infection after eating contaminated seafood. This incident happened in Fujian, China where both the unrelated victims died within a day after being hospitalised.
Image For Illustration Purposes Only | Source: Tokyo Kitchen
According to China Press, the first patient was a woman in her 50s, and she was rushed to the hospital after both her legs started swelling up and she developed a fever. Her blood was taken for examination and a type of bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus was detected in the sample.
In just a matter of hours, her condition went from bad to critical. Sadly, she died after her major organs failed to function normally – and it was reported that her family owns a seafood shop.
Meanwhile, in the second case, the patient was diagnosed with the same flesh-eating bacteria and within eight hours of hospitalisation, her legs were severely infected, which led to sepsis, an extreme response from our body towards infection. This life-threatening condition can trigger a chain reaction which can rapidly lead to tissue and organ damage.
Source: China Press
Unfortunately, she too succumbed to the infection and her family members revealed that she had eaten escargot (sea snails) and other seafood prior to the incident.
Following the incidents, a senior doctor from the hospital released a statement saying that the bacteria lives in parts of the ocean where the water temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. This bacteria enters our body through our wounds or when we ingest seafood that is contaminated and not thoroughly cooked. It was understood that such a condition can be tricky to treat even in countries with advanced medical facilities as the death rate is reportedly 30 per cent.
So guys, be sure to consume seafood that is properly cooked just to be on the safe side!
Also read: Man Eats Pig’s Blood & Contracts Deadly Infection, Now Forced to Amputate Both Legs
