- VICTORIA - A woman in Victoria
has died of necrotizing fasciitis, the flesh-eating disease.
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- Regional coroner Dianne Olson says the woman was in her
60s. She was found dead in her home last Friday
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- Olson says the infection developed when the woman injured
her toe slightly after clipping a nail.
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- Tests confirmed the cause of death as necrotizing fasciitis,
a form of streptococcus infection.
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- Dr. Linda Poffenroth, the Victoria region's deputy medical
health officer, says the region has had six cases of the disease since
last September.
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- "There's always the question, is it more of the
germ out there, or has the germ changed? There are more bacterial tests
we can do, but we won't know the results for a while," said Poffenroth.
-
- She says they usually expect about a dozen cases per
year.
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- Poffenroth also says the region has seen a general rise
in cases of streptoccocus A, an infection that can lead to flesh-eating
disease. She suggests anyone with a lingering sore throat or painful infection
that won't clear up, they should seek medical help.
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- Written by CBC News Online staff http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/view?/news/2002/01/10/flesheating020110
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