THE FLESH-EATING SICKNESS

Dr George Isaacs, senior clinical manager at the Dr Harry Surtie Hospital, confirms that Aubrey was treated for necrotising fasciitis when he was admitted to the hospital following his appendectomy.

“It’s a rare disease that occurs when a wound is infected,” he explains.

“When the germ has taken hold in a patient’s wound, it obstructs the blood supply, among other things.

“As the germ moves through the wound, it leaves behind a path of destruction in the form of dead tissue.

“To treat the germ, the wound must be cleaned and treated with antibiotics and the dead tissue must be cut away.”