A California woman has tragically become a quadruple amputee after contracting a devastating bacterial infection.
The loved ones of 40-year-old Laura Barajas believe that she contracted the infection after purchasing and eating tilapia "from a local market in San Jose", according to an online fundraiser launched for the mom-of-one.
As reported by CBS 42, Barajas has now endured life-altering procedures after spending almost two months in the hospital.
Speaking to KRON 4, close friend Anna Messina revealed: "It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us."
"She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator," Messina added. "They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing."
Messina has since launched a GoFundMe for Barajas in an effort to raise funds to help her friend cope with future challenges and growing medical bills. On the page, she explains how her friend has "cooked herself dinner after a long day", but after "Laura realized something was terribly wrong", she was diagnosed with vibrio vulnificus the following day.
"Laura has been in the hospital for over a month, fighting for her life, she is now a quadruple amputee. On September 13, 2023 all four of Lauras' limbs had to be removed in order to save her life," Messina writes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently issued an urgent warning regarding the risks of bacterial infections, most notably vibrio vulnificus, per USA Today. The infection can be contracted either from consuming undercooked or raw fish or from exposing open wounds to coastal waters.
The CDC adds that "at least a dozen people have died from the infection across the country this year."
According to UCSF Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode, this particular bacteria poses an elevated risk, especially for those with compromised immune systems. "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," Dr. Spottiswoode elaborated.
The CDC estimates that approximately 150-200 such cases are reported each year in the United States, with about one in five resulting in death, sometimes occurring as quickly as within one to two days of symptom onset.
Messina has now strongly advised others to take preventive measures. "People should take sensible precautions like if you have a cut avoid getting immersed in water until it’s well healed," she said, adding: "Be thankful for what we have right now because it can be taken away so quickly so easily."
The GoFundMe campaign has already surpassed the $36,000 mark.