Event Series:
Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Month
Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day
May 31, 2029
Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day
Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day takes place on May 31. To call awareness to this important day, wear a purple and green or teal and purple pin or ribbon. If not treated rapidly, Necrotizing Fasciitis may lead to surgery, amputation of the limbs, and even cause death. We aim to provide information about this rare disease and raise awareness on this day of what it is, how to treat it, and how to prevent it.
On Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day, we raise awareness for the treatment, symptoms, and causes of necrotizing fasciitis. This is a rare infection which affects the soft skin tissues.
Necrotizing Fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, is a bacterial infection that results in the death of parts of the body’s soft tissue. In addition, it is a severe disease of sudden onset that spreads rapidly. Symptoms usually include red or purple skin in the affected area, severe pain, fever, and vomiting.
Early symptoms of Necrotizing Fasciitis can include:
- A red, warm, or swollen area of skin that spreads quickly.
- Severe pain, including pain beyond the area of the skin that is red, warm, or swollen.
What is Necrotising Fasciitis? Learn More During Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day
Necrotising fasciitis is a deep tissue infection which can prove fatal to the patient within days if not diagnosed or treated urgently.
In addition, when certain bacteria reach the deep tissue layers within the body, usually via a wound to the skin, they release toxins which destroy the tissue. Bacteria spreads rapidly through the body, threatening major organs and ultimately taking the life of the patient.
What are the effects of necrotising fasciitis?
The only effective treatment for necrotising fasciitis, if diagnosed promptly, is the surgical removal of all damaged tissue. The aim of this is to halt the spread of the infection and preserve the remaining areas of the body. Unfortunately, this may require several surgical procedures to remove all dead skin. Because necrotising fasciitis is a virulent infection, this will frequently require the removal of significant amounts of skin and tissue.
If the patient survives, the best outcome is where this has been achieved with the minimum amount of surgery which can then be repaired with skin grafts. In bad cases, the extent of the wound may leave scarring and the need for plastic surgery. In the most severe cases, a limb (usually a lower limb) will need to be amputated, leaving the patient disabled and requiring on-going physical support. It may possibly require psychological support, as well.
Surviving necrotising fasciitis
Patients who survive this shocking illness can be regarded as fortunate but their life is likely to be permanently affected by it, nonetheless. Their physical and psychological damage will require understanding and long-term support.
Urgent responses to necrotising fasciitis and the need to know more on Necrotizing Fasciitis Awareness Day
It is clear that greater awareness and better understanding of necrotising fasciitis will help those who develop the condition. Accurate methods of diagnosis and pathogen recognition, along with a cure, may reduce the current levels of destruction of this illness. Currently, the mortality rate of necrotizing fasciitis is 40%, even with treatment.
