Flesh-eating vulva infections on the rise in UK and can kill in hours (2025)

Doctors have issued a warning after a rise in cases of a dangerous flesh-eating infection that can affect the genitalia and has a high fatality rate

Leading UK doctors have issued a stark warning following an increase in deadly flesh-eating infections with a high mortality rate.

In a new report, the medical experts highlighted cases of Necrotising fasciitis, also known as the "flesh-eating disease". This rare and life-threatening infection can occur when a wound becomes infected and requires immediate hospital treatment.

The report, penned by medics from Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust and published in BMJ Case Reports, states: "Necrotising fasciitis is an uncommon and rapidly progressive surgical emergency."

The team is urging other gynaecologists to be vigilant due to a concerning rise in cases at their hospital.

Necrotising fasciitis can develop after a wound - from surgery or something as minor as a cut, scrape or insect bite - becomes infected. Those with diabetes or a weakened immune system may be more susceptible to developing necrotising fasciitis, reports the Mirror.

Symptoms can appear rapidly within hours or over several days, and if the bacteria infect the bloodstream, it can lead to sepsis.

Initial symptoms may include intense pain or numbness near a cut or wound – the pain may seem disproportionately severe compared to the size of the wound. Other signs may include skin swelling around the affected area or flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature, headache and fatigue.

Necrotising fasciitis, a fast-progressing and potentially deadly condition, requires immediate hospital treatment. Symptoms can escalate to include vomiting, diarrhoea, confusion, and distinctive marks or blisters on the skin which may be less visible on darker skin.

The infection, resembling common skin issues like cellulitis, demands urgent attention, with interventions ranging from antibiotics to surgery, potentially resulting in lasting bodily changes or amputation.

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Bill Sullivan, professor of microbiology and immunology at Indiana University, informed Live Science about the severity of necrotising fasciitis: "Necrotising fasciitis can occur anywhere skin or tissue is breached, including genitalia. It's an extremely aggressive infection that can advance to a life-threatening situation in 24-48 hours. After these bacteria get into the skin, they release potent toxins that lead to rapid tissue destruction, liquefying muscle, nerves, and blood vessels," as reported by The Sun.

Medics have detailed the alarming cases of three women who developed a severe infection on their vulva, as stated in a report: "Two of our patients presented to emergency with vulval necrotising fasciitis, while the third developed it as a complication of postoperative wound infection. All patients underwent extensive surgical debridement and required a multidisciplinary approach from gynaecologists, surgeons, the intensive care team and the tissue viability team."

Dr Sullivan commented on the severity of the condition, saying: "Vaginal necrotising fasciitis could be considered more dangerous in the sense that it might be more difficult to diagnose in time."

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