If you see your child consistently scratching their limbs and there are marks that resemble mosquito bites, it’s best you bring them to the hospital for treatment.
Chances are, they might be losing their limbs if it’s too late. Wen Wen is a 4-year-old girl from Hubei, China.
The weather had been hot lately and she couldn’t stop scratching her hands because of mosquito bites.
Her mother thought it was normal when she spotted purplish-red marks on her thigh during shower time. What she didn’t know was her toddler would have an extremely high fever the next four days.
Worried, the mother rushed Wen Wen to the hospital. That was when she noticed that the marks had swollen and turned blue-black and there were rashes all over her lower body.
After going through a few medical procedures, it was found that Wen Wen was experiencing necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease. She was scheduled for three debridement operations and symptomatic anti-infective treatment.
The swollen flesh in her thigh was removed because they were nothing but accumulated dead cells that would’ve cost her her leg had it not been treated. She was temporarily reported stable but doctors advised that she continues the treatment.
The infection was at a risk of spreading even after the surgeries. Upon diagnosis, doctors found out that the mosquito bites had caused some dangerous infection in Wen Wen’s soft tissues.
Though the early symptoms cannot be usually detected, the specialist at Wuhan Children’s Hospital urged parents to look out for swollen marks on their children’s limbs. If your little ones are experiencing high fever and vomiting for more than a few consecutive days, immediate treatment is required.
The disease can lead to multiple organ failures and eventually shock death if left unattended.
