SEATTLE, Wash. - - When Vince Kibby caught chicken pox from his sister in April, everyone thought he'd recover with nothing more than a few scars.
But two days later, the 9-year-old couldn't walk. Doctors warned Daisy Kibby her son might lose his leg - or die.
"They said his flesh was being eaten at a rate of up to an inch an hour," says Kibby, who lives in the Seattle suburb of Bothell. "It was devastating."
What Vince Kibby had is being called the "flesh-eating bug" or "galloping gangrene," a bacteria creating a panic around the country as an increasing number of cases - including one death Thursday - are reported.
The Group A streptococcal bacteria - officially called necrotizing fasciitis - have been reported in California, North Carolina, New York, Michigan, Florida, Connecticut, Vermont, Colorado and Washington.
The deadly infection received worldwide publicity after British newspapers reported 11 people died in England and ran headlines like "Killer Bug Ate My Face."
The bacteria enter a wound and produce toxins that deprive cells of oxygen, killing tissue and muscle.
Health officials say there is no epidemic. And there's no reason for "anybody going to bed at night afraid of this," says Bob Howard, spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Still, researchers say the infection, which strikes up to 1,500 people each year, is becoming more widespread and resistant to antibiotics.
"We're definitely seeing a comeback," says Dennis Stevens, infectious disease expert and professor of medicine at University of Washington.
Officials from the World Health Organization announced they are investigating an apparent rise in cases.
On Thursday, Gary Meadows, 33, of Ypsilanti, Mich., died when he was infected with the bacteria after he scraped his knee from a bicycle fall. He's the second person linked to the disease to die in Michigan in less than a month.
The terrifying stories of an increasing number of victims, many who almost died, sound like something out of a science fiction movie: Steve Hillman of Pompano Beach, Fla., got a pimple on his buttock the Friday before Mother's Day; by Sunday, the inflamed area had grown to a 6-by-8-inch blistering hole.
"They told my wife that if we'd waited four to six more hours before going to the hospital, she would have woke up next to a corpse," says Hillman.
What's scary about the disease is the swiftness with which it kills: The bacteria divide every 45 minutes and can destroy an arm in a day.
In California, a Monterey Park patient is expected to recover after doctors had to cut away part of his thigh because the bacteria were spreading so rapidly. Three cases of the disease have been verified in Connecticut, which like many states had not even reported cases until this year.
Researchers believe the poisonous bacteria signal a comeback of a form of strep that caused severe scarlet fever a century ago, killing thousands before mysteriously declining in the 1920s.
Up to 15% of the population carries an active version of the common streptococcal organism that causes strep throat, says the CDC.
About 10,000 to 15,000 people a year develop serious streptococcus infections, with 5 to 10% of those getting the flesh-killing strain.
Researchers estimate 30% of those infected with the deadly bacteria die of toxic shock, multi-organ failure and a fatal drop in blood pressure. About 40% of survivors require tissue removal or amputation.
Doctors say early warning signs of the disease are pain in the muscles, fever, redness and blistering of the skin.
Doris Stroupe, 56, of Indian Trail, N.C., was rushed to the hospital three years ago with flu-like symptoms and diagnosed with the infection.
She has undergone six operations and skin grafts and can't use her left arm because surgeons had to remove muscles.
"She can't do anything," says her daughter, Beverly, who quit her job and moved back home to help her mother.
Physicians at Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle said last week they might have found a way to help curb the infection.
Kibby and three other children who became infected with necrotizing fasciitis through chicken pox received intravenous antibiotics and surgery through the hospital, but were still close to death, says Craig Rubens
So the patients were placed in a pressurized chamber, which flooded oxygen into their tissues and blood. All four children have been released from the hospital.
"It is by no means an absolute cure," says Rubens. "But there is some feeling that perhaps it helped."
Strep bacteria grow more deadly Concern is growing worldwide that Group A streptococcus, bacteria that cause infections like strep throat, may be acquiring greater virulence. How the Group A streptococcus attacks the body: 1. Normally, streptococci reside in throat, nasal cavity. 2. The bacteria find their way to site of minor injury -- a prick, bruise, strained muscle -- through bloodstream. Or can be introduced through skin. 3. They destroy, but do not consume, tissue. Two hypotheses of how they spread:
-- Bacteria secrete a toxin that causes tissue to deteriorate.
-- Bacteria obstruct blood vessels and oxygen supply to muscles by making white blood cells stick to lining of blood vessels. 4. Muscles can deteriorate as rapidly as an inch or two per hour. Blisters form. Skin can form ulcerations beneath the blister. If untreated, leads to loss of tissue, amputations, shock, organ failure, even death.
Who gets it? The recent outbreak has hit mostly young, healthy people. All age groups are susceptible. Recently, many cases have occurred in children with chicken pox. Symptoms Fever, confusion, chills. At site of injury: increasing pain, swelling, blisters, tenderness, redness. A fever that persists for more than 72-96 hours in children with chicken pox is a source of concern. Treatment Antibiotics should be administered, and surgery is often necessary. Frequently requires intensive care treatment with ventilators, IV fluids and dialysis for kidney failure. Prevention There is no preventive treatment. But, most people already have resistance to common Group A strep infections, such as strep throat, and the fatal form is uncommon. If symptoms appear, immediately seek medical attention.
