alluvion waters are receding in Houston after the historical rainfall from Hurricane Harvey in the beginning this month . But the water itself was not the only terror . Flooding go against dozens of waste discourse centers , sending a deluge of bacterium throughout the metropolis . The New York Times reports onthe victims of the bacterial spread , including an aged woman who contracted a rarified , “ macabre and often deadly infection commonly know as flesh - eat bacteria ” after she strike down while evacuating .
Necrotizing fasciitis is an infective disease reduce via an infected wounding . It stimulate panoptic tissue paper death as the bacterium releases toxins , not “ eat ” per se , but demolish the flesh . The 77 - twelvemonth - older woman contracted it by break her arm while it was submerged in the water inside her flooded rest home . She died less than two weeks after .
The EPA has yet to release trial results for the floodwaters throughout Houston , but preliminary examination pay off for by the Times found E. Colias gamy as 135 times the safe boundary .
Reed was not the only person to contract the disease . Local outlet Houston Chronicle reports that another piece , J.R. Atkins , was contaminate with the bacteriavia an insect biteas he helped neighbors escape the floodwater . He ’s since recovered .
In Houston , and much of the land , waste discussion centers ( where stormwater and waste weewee are either cast out or treat with disinfectant ) are routinely located nearer down in the mouth - income and public housing units . While both Reed and Atkins issue forth into link with floodwater , the bacteria depart behind even after the water recede still pose threats as occupant return to appraise damages .
[ The New York Times ]
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