Man dies from flesh-eating disease two months after Hurricane Harvey
A Texas man died of a rare flesh-eating disease two months after Hurricane Harvey slammed parts of the state, according to the Galveston County Health District.
Josue Zurita, a 31-year-old carpenter who had moved to Galveston from Mexico, was helping to repair several storm-damaged homes in the region when a wound on his left arm became severely infected.
Photo: Facebook
Zurita went to a local hospital on Oct. 10 where he was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as a flesh-eating disease.
Necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial skin infection that spreads quickly and kills the body’s soft tissue, according to the Center for Disease Control.
The disease can often prove extremely deadly in a very short period of time.
"It’s most likely this person's infection occurred when bacteria from Harvey debris or floodwater entered his body through a wound or cut," said Galveston County local health authority Dr. Philip Keiser. "This is a very rare infection but that doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking for this person’s family and friends."
Tragically, Zurita succumbed to his wounds on Oct. 16, four days after his initial diagnosis.
"It's unbelievable," Brenda Avalos, a family friend, told KPRC. "We still don't accept that he's not here."
SEE: Before and after photos of Hurricane Harvey:
