Life Imitates Horror: Flesh Eating Virus

Posted by Ms Harker | Filed under Life imitates Horror

Sitting here as the wind outside blows a cold gale, reclining in my slightly hungover state, I have been puzzling of what to bring you for the next “Life Imitates Horror’ feature. When it came to me in a flash of undead inspiration… all things zombie are the rage, zombie flesh is decaying flesh, what type of diseases out there create the same effect on living human beings? Is there such a thing as a ‘Flesh Eating’ virus? Well ladies and gentlemen, I will go to many lengths for my readers, so despite said hangover,  I have researched this issue and am happy to report back in the affirmative ‘Flesh Eating’ viruses indeed exist!

There are in fact a number of bacteria that can attack human flesh but today we will be looking at ‘Necrotising Fascitis’. ‘Necrotising Fascitis’ took the lives of approximately 35 injecting drug users in Ireland and the UK in 2002, with the most concentrated number of cases in Glasgow. Forcing the government to issue a health warning.

Symptoms of “Necrotising Fascitis’ occur at the site of an established wound and large blisters form beneath the skin as the bacteria penetrates the lower layers. The victim then experiences flu-like symptoms and diarrhoea can also occur, with victims developing toxic shock syndrome as the disease spreads to the underlying tissues. If caught early the disease can be treated with anti-biotics, however if not the bacteria eats away at the body, creating gaping zombie like wounds!

So beware, next time you are down a dark alley, or cruising past your local crack dealers den, carry some evaporative antiseptic in your pocket, there may be flesh eating bacteria spreading around!

Ms Harker

necrotizing-fasciitis

antiseptic-hand-cleaner

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Permalink | August 23rd, 2009

6 Responses to “Life Imitates Horror: Flesh Eating Virus”

  1. B-Sol Says:
    August 23rd, 2009 at 6:22 pm

    My wife works at a hospital, and just last week told me of someone who came in with necrotising fascitis…on his penis. I wish I was making that up.

    And people wonder why I’m an atheist…

  2. Ms Harker Says:
    August 23rd, 2009 at 7:11 pm

    Get the hell out! Not on the ‘member’, how on earth? I am ashamed to say I could hazard a guess how… but that’s a whole different post!

  3. Cortez the Killer Says:
    August 25th, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Sweet Mary Magdalene! Flesh eating virus on his junk? There is no god.

  4. crwm Says:
    October 19th, 2009 at 8:53 am

    Eli Roth got the inspiration for his flesh-eating virus flick “Cabin Fever” after suffering the effects of such a virus himself. Nothing on the scale of what you’ve got in that picture, but gross none the less.

  5. Vince Noir Says:
    August 9th, 2010 at 5:23 pm

    NOT A VIRUS!

    At risk of sounding like a grammar Nazi, I have to speak up; a virus is not the same as bacteria. Necrotising fasciitis is a bacterial infection. Yet you repeatedly say “flesh eating virus.” A virus is not alive. It is a little chunk of protein and DNA or RNA that replicates itself in its host’s cells. A bacterium is a living thing that can possibly infect a person. And as such, antibiotics can sometimes treat necrotising fasciitis, while viral infection require antivirals and a good dose of luck.

    OK I’m definitely crossing the line to biology Nazi, huh…

  6. joan Says:
    September 7th, 2010 at 4:48 pm

    oh my GOd

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