All healthcare professionals face multiple risks just for the sake of doing their job. While emotionally they have a high probability of developing stress and anxiety, physically there are other problems. The current Covid-19 pandemic has shown that even with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) they have a high risk of becoming infected. But there are also cases in which problems of great magnitude are generated at home by minimal aspects. This is precisely what happened to a doctor with septicemia who was on the verge of lose life.
We refer to Dr. Jaco Nel and his case has already gone around the world. His story seems straight out of fiction but it is real and must now be used to raise awareness. What happened to the doctor shouldn’t happen to anyone else.
Report of the facts
Based on what was reported by the media, it all started on any given day when he was playing with his dog. At one point the canine scratched a hand of the doctor. It was not too deep or visible a wound so he let the incident pass. While a few days later the fact was generated that in the end it would be devastating. The same animal licked the injured limb of its owner and without knowing it would be the beginning of a serious picture of septicemia.
A few days later he started with the flu and later the effects on his health increased in intensity. At first he thought it was temporary until he saw that he really suffered from a serious problem.
As part of the reviews, it was detected that a bacteria in the pet’s saliva entered the doctor’s body. Unfortunately it was too late when the diagnosis was made because the damage had already been done.
The doctor was playing with Harvey, his pet, when he made a small scratch on him from which a little blood came out. https://t.co/J9LpH4AOyW
– Process (@process) November 8, 2021
In accordance with Mayo Clinic Septicemia is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to an infection causes damage to its own tissues. When infection-fighting processes are activated in the body, they cause the organs to malfunction.
Regarding the doctor’s case, the infection left him in a coma for five days and caused both his legs to be amputated. In addition, it has also caused a disfigurement in his face and although he remains alive now his life is no longer the same.
Since then, the doctor has no longer been able to return to his usual work in the office. Although now he is dedicated to giving conferences in which he talks about his life. Its objective is to prevent something similar from happening to other people and thus combat possible cases of septicemia.