A mosquito bite, which was ignored by a foreign tourist in Thailand, provoked the spread of “soft bacteria” in him and led to the amputation of both legs. The Thaiger publication reported this case.
After the incident, 62-year-old Dutch tourist and ex-pat Ed Olislagers stayed on the main resort island of Phuket and took on a mission to spread the word about “carnivorous bacteria” (necrotizing fasciitis).
Background: Necrotizing fasciitis is an infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes or Clostridium perfringens bacteria that affects the superficial and deep fascia and subcutaneous tissue.
A citizen of the Netherlands was admitted to the hospital in April of last year with symptoms accompanying a mosquito bite: local inflammation and pain at the site of the bite. Just two hours later, Ed was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a rare bacterial infection that spreads quickly and can be fatal.
“And that was just the beginning of a long period of surgeries, medications, and excruciating pain that I still can’t put into words,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. After nine operations and four months, his left leg was amputated above the knee to save his life, and then his right lower leg due to complications of thrombosis.
It is known that the man lived on the island for many years, managing a successful swimming pool construction business. However, his case collapsed during the Covid-19 pandemic, so the displaced person lost his source of income and could not restore it. Currently, the man cannot pay the mountains of medical bills issued by Thai clinics on his own. At first, his common-law wife made the payment, and then he managed to collect a small number of donations. However, this turned out to be not enough.
The Dutchman dreams of prosthetics to become more mobile — while he has to move around in a wheelchair. The asking price is $20,000. “Prosthetics are expensive. And I also plan to ride a quad bike and start a new business,” he said.
Returning home to the Netherlands is also problematic, as airlines have refused to allow a tourist to fly alone without an escort. In addition, he said, the process of registering for social security can take him about eight months.
The traveler complained that medicine knows little about this disease. “In my case, the body began to react positively, and then a new infection developed again and again… As a result, I twice found myself in a situation of sepsis, that is, the body began to shut down non-vital parts, which leads to death if you do not take emergency measures such as amputation,” he said.
In the case of Olislagers, it all started with a mosquito bite. However, the disease can begin with any damage to the skin tissues – scratches left by the cat’s claws, open wounds on the leg, or wounds from shaving. “Treatment often begins with trial and error,” he added and stated that he had been collecting information about it bit by bit and was now ready to share it with those interested.