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Flesh-eating bacteria kills New York student

Infection Control Monitor, April 22, 2005

A rare strain of flesh-eating bacteria killed a young female student from New York last week, reports The Associated Press.

Nathera Masoud, 10, contracted necrotizing fascitis, an infection caused by Group A streptococcus bacteria-the same bacteria that causes strep throat and scarlet fever.

Masoud, who had no prior history of serious health problems, first complained about a pain in her arm on April 2. Ten days later, a school nurse at P.S./M.S. 95 in Van Cortland Village noticed Masoud's weakened condition. Montefiore Hospital admitted the student. She died three days later.

Before her death, hospital tests confirmed that the bacteria was eating away at her tissues.

The bacteria enters the body through breaks in the skin. Masoud may have been susceptible because she had eczema.

The condition affects between 500 and 1,500 people in the United States each year, killing between 100 and 300 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus is not transmitted through casual contact.

School officials urged children to wash their hands regularly with soap and water.

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