‘She couldn’t walk’: 9-year-old gets rare infection after scratching mosquito bite | Trending

A mosquito bite can be the most harmless thing when outdoors, but for one Australian child, scratching a bite turned into a frightening nightmare, according to parenting site Kidspot. A nine-year-old girl travelling with her family started scratching a mosquito bite after she was bitten at their campsite in New South Wales. The incident left the child with permanent scars and a fear of touching any sore on her body.(Unsplash) Her mother, Bek, said that they just put an antibacterial mosquito bite cream to help stop the itch, but the bite did not go away. “On day four, it had doubled in size, was firm and red, and Ava said, ‘It’s starting to get sore, mum.’ The bite had tripled in size overnight, and she suddenly couldn’t walk,” the 36-year-old mother said. A mosquito bite turns seriousAs the parents grew anxious, they sought medical help, but all doctors near were booked for weeks. They resorted to seeking a checkup from an online nurse who suggested they rush the child to a hospital. “The doctor took one look at her, and he was concerned, because the bite was behind the knee and on a joint, and an infection may have been in that joint,” the mother said. Doctors diagnosed Ava with a staph infection, and she had to spend three days at the hospital. The ordeal did not end, as the first round of antibiotics was not effective, and Ava was diagnosed with MRSA, a rare and antibiotic-resant strain of the condition. A lasting impact“It had spread all the way back up her thigh, and the skin was all red and hot, to the point that her lymph nodes were swollen. You can’t use normal band-aids; you have to use big healing pads and change them two to three times a day, and you can’t get them wet,” Bek said, explaining the severe caution they had to take to help their daughter heal. Doctors explained that we carry staph on our skin, but once it gets into your bloodstream through an open wound, it’s hard to get out. “We made the make of putting those tough band-aids on, and taking them off left spots of open skin, and within two days, there were eight spots that had all turned into golden staph,” she added. While no one else has been affected in the family other than Ava, as a precaution, they are bathing in chlorhexidine surgical wash as part of the eradication. The nine-year-old’s wounds have healed, but she is scarred for life. “She’s scared to scratch or touch any sore on her body now, and she’s worried it’s going to stay in her body forever. She’s also got scars on the back of both of her legs now,” her mother said. (Also read: Man goes to doctor for toothache, leaves with shocking prostate cancer diagnosis)