he also says that most cases happen randomly and very rarely spread from person to person. it’s also challenging to diagnose because patients first complain of pain in an arm or leg and they’re often sent home with anti-inflammatories for muscle injury. then a rash appears on the limb and people develop a fever, chills, sweats and start feeling awful.
depending on the patient, prompt treatment requires surgery, antibiotics and, in cases caused by group a strep, intravenous immunoglobulin therapy is administered to control immune reaction to the bacteria.
to keep yourself safe from a bacterial skin infection, frequent handwashing is recommended along with cleaning all minor cuts and injuries that break the skin, including blisters and scrapes.
and if you have an open wound or skin infection, avoid hot tubs and swimming.
“when people are on vacation, they do things that they don’t normally do. they climb, they hike, they go into the water and get scratched on coral,” says morris. “all those things just increase the likelihood,”
common sense should prevail, so don’t let your guard down, morris adds. “be smart when you travel. if you have wounds, manage them and seek medical attention if things aren’t right.”
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