FLESH-EATING DISEASE. Invasive Group A Strep cases are rising, but the reason is a medical mystery. Group A streptococcus, a common cause of flesh-eating disease, has been on the rise. It can literally happen to anybody! The disease is caused by several bacteria and can be fatal if it’s not dealt with quickly. The immune system is seriously compromised. Seriously ill patients may require limb amputation to control the spread. It often starts with the infection of a small cut or bug bite, but a break in the skin isn’t always necessary. Sometimes it’s as minor as a paper cut or a prick from a rosebush, sometimes it can be blunt trauma like a bruise or a compression injury. The infection causes swelling, and fluid accumulation, which leads very quickly to tissue death- gangrene. A doctor prescribes anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Testing does not turn up signs of an infection. Within a few days, the pain becomes more severe. It’s a surgical emergency. It’s not enough when it gets to that stage to treat the patient with antibiotics. The infection is in the blood which means it could spread to any part of the body. No one knows when and which part of the body the infection will attack next. Doctors tell the patient it’s a long process, a long recovery, and no one knows if they will ever get rid of Group A Strep infection-this flesh-eating disease. This is all emotionally over-whelming for both the patients and their loved-one! Enhancing the immune system for both patient and loved one is crucial now, if there is any hope to recover from this horrible situation.