A Houston woman died earlier this month from a flesh-eating bacteria after falling into contaminated Harvey floodwaters. Nancy Reed, 77, a former elementary school teacher and community volunteer, died on Sept. 15 after sustaining injuries from a fall during Hurricane Harvey. The Harris County medical examiner’s office later determined that Reed died from necrotizing fasciitis, a rapidly-spreading bacterial infection that kills the body’s soft tissue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, necrotizing fasciitis can become “deadly in a very short amount of time” if not treated promptly with antibiotics and surgery. “It’s tragic,” Dr. David Persse, Houston’s emergency medical services director, told the Houston Chronicle of Reed’s death.

Source: Huffington Post September 28, 2017 09:56 UTC