A 7-year-old local child was diagnosed with Vibrio vulnificus yesterday after being injured on the toe of his right foot by a fish fin when playing at Hac Sa Beach on Sunday, according to a statement by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday.
According to the statement, the boy later came down with fever and pain in his swollen right foot after being stabbed by a fish fin while playing on the beach in Coloane on Sunday. His family took him to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre on Monday where he was diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis on his right foot and admitted for debridement and antibiotic treatment.
Debridement is the removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue.
Since treatment, the patient’s fever has subsided, and his condition is now stable although he remains hospitalised.
Vibrio vulnificus (Latin for a kind of “wounding” bacteria) is a naturally occurring bacterium found in warm seawater and can cause infection if the wound comes into contact with seawater containing Vibrio vulnificus or if contaminated seafood is consumed, the statement said.
To prevent Vibrio vulnificus infection, people should clean their wounds immediately and cover them properly with waterproof adhesive dressings until healed, and avoid allowing wounds to come into contact with seawater or raw seafood, the statement said.
Wound infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus can be mild, but may result in necrotising fasciitis which will cause severe pain, redness and swelling of the wound and rapid tissue necrosis, the statement said.
Patients with necrotising fasciitis may require life-saving amputation, which is fatal in about 20 to 30 percent of cases, the statement noted.
The bureau also reminded the public to avoid skin contact with dirty water when visiting a wet market, and be careful with sharp parts of seafood, such as fish fins, shrimp heads and crabs to prevent cuts.
Image courtesy of histopathology-india.net
