A man from Memphis, Dave Bennett, has reportedly lost his life after contracting a flesh-eating bacteria while swimming on a Florida trip with his family.
The infection quickly managed to take over his body and killed him not more than two days after initially starting.
A relative of the man is now trying to spread awareness about the dangers of flesh-eating bacteria, urging people to be careful about what bodies of water they swim in.
The daughter, Cheryl Bennett Wiygul, also pointed out that many people do not take the phenomenon seriously since they believe it to be an urban myth, but it is anything but that in reality.
Bennett reportedly woke up with a heavy fever on the day after contracting the bacteria, and his family immediately jumped to action.
The woman wrote: “Flesh Eating Bacteria sounds like an urban legend. Let me assure you that it is not. We were out in the bay on the boat near Crab Island, went to the beach in Destin twice, splashed around Turkey Creek, swam in Boggy Bayou, in our pool and then on Friday we spent the day at Rocky Bayou. We left around 4:00 p.m. Daddy stayed up late Friday night and watched a movie. He was happy and talkative, seemed to feel fine as he did all week.”
She concluded with: “I knew you shouldn’t swim with an open wound but I didn’t realize he shouldn’t be in the water with his immune system. I feel like I should have known and that is something I will live with for the rest of my life. If I would have done more research I would have but I don’t think the general public realizes it either. I do believe if there was a simple sign posted about the risk of swimming with an open wound or an immune disorder, we wouldn’t have let him get in.”
They initially believed he had a problem with his immune system due to his health history and took the precautions they deemed necessary in that scenario.
Physicians made various attempts to save the man’s life, but it was all in vain in the end as he passed away around 48 hours after the initial infection.
Official reports claim that the man had been infected with Vibrio vulnificus, which turns into flesh-eating bacteria, which in turn leads to sepsis.
The condition is highly dangerous and requires immediate medical attention, although it can be challenging to identify due to the nature of its symptoms.
Physicians have urged people who suspect that they might be suffering from something similar to not take any chances and to go to a hospital as soon as convenient.
