A 75-year-old local woman inflicted with chronic diseases suffered necrosis of her finger after being infected with Vibrio vulnificus*, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a statement on Friday.
When the woman handled fish at home on May 24, the statement said, she accidentally injured a finger on her right hand.
According to the statement, the woman developed a fever, experienced swelling and pain on her injured finger in the early morning of May 24. She then sought treatment at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, where she was diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis of a finger on her right hand, so that she was hospitalised for wound debridement and antibiotic treatment.
Necrotising fasciitis is commonly known as flesh-eating infection, which is a serious bacterial infection of the soft tissue and fascia (layer of tissue).
According to laboratory tests, the patient was confirmed as having been infected with Vibrio vulnificus through her wound secretion samples, adding that she has since recovered and been discharged after undergoing surgery, due to necrosis of her finger. The statement underlined that her cohabiting family members showed no similar symptoms.
*Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium found in warm marine environments, such as estuaries, coastal waters, and shellfish. It belongs to the same family as Vibrio cholerae (the causative agent of cholera) and is known for its potential to cause severe, life-threatening infections in humans.
Details about Vibrio vulnificus infection in English can be checked on
https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/24/3780.html
Image courtesy of US FSN
