First symptoms of mum, 40, who lost all four limbs from eating undercooked fish
The first scary symptoms of a mum who lost all her limbs after eating undercooked fish, have been revealed.
Laura Barajas, from California, picked up a bacterial infection from undercooking Tilapia fish in late July after buying it at a local market in San Jose. Doctors were forced to undergo a life-saving amputation surgery after she had spent months in hospital battling the deadly infection.
The 40-year-old mum-of-one cooked and ate the fish herself. Her friend said she "almost lost her life" during those terrifying months. "It's just been really heavy on all of us. It's terrible. This could've happened to any of us," Anna Messina told News 19. "She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator."
Her friend also revealed a worrying symptom that appeared before the poor woman's limbs had to be taken off. She was placed into a medically-induced coma after Laura contracted sepsis. "Her fingers were black, her feet were black, her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing", Anna added.
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Laura Barajas undergoing urgent care in hospital (GoFundMe)Medics believe the infection was likely caused by vibrio vulnificus, which is a bacterial infection the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have recently warned about.
According to the CDC, around 150-200 cases of infections are reported each year, and around one in five people with the infection die. People who are immunocompromised are more at risk from the deadly bacteria.
CSF Infectious Disease expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode warned: "The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are one-you can eat something that's contaminated with it the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives.
Laura (L) had to get all four limbs amputated (GoFundMe)"People should take sensible precautions like if you have a cut avoid getting immersed in water until it's well healed,' Ms Spottiswoode said. "If you are someone immunocompromised keeping an eye on these things and avoiding those high-risk activities and foods."
Anna has set up a GoFundMe page to try and help her friend with the medical costs and her ongoing care needs. So far, $36,000 has been raised out of a target of $150,000, as she wrote "be thankful for what we have right now because it can be taken away so quickly so easily."
Laura Barajas with he family (GoFundMe)Her friend added: "This family is in desperate need of our help. While Jose has health benefits through his work, it remains uncertain whether they will cover Laura, his partner of eight years Messina wrote on the page, which has raised more than $26,000 so far.
"Jose's paid time off (PTO) has been exhausted, and the Family Disability program provides only 60% of his normal income. The mounting hospital bills are overwhelming, and Laura's physical condition will necessitate significant changes to their lives as they adapt to her new circumstance."
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