An 11-year-old boy from Florida died just days after a sprained ankle led to a flesh-eating bacterial infection, family members said.
Jesse Brown, a fifth-grade student at Lakemont Elementary School in Winter Park, was injured while using a treadmill last month, his cousin Megan Brown told NBC affiliate WESH.
Megan Brown said the family noticed the boy’s leg was covered in purple-red bruises a few days after the accident and the bruising was the first sign of group A strep.
Brown said the bacteria entered Jesse’s bloodstream and eventually shut down his organs. Jesse was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and died days later, his cousin said.
“They had to bring him back a couple of times because his heart was doing crazy things. His organs were starting to shut down and they had to intubate him,” Brown told WESH.
She said that before the treadmill incident, the boy was active and healthy. BMX and motocross competitions are where Jesse shined, she said.
For his family, Jesse Brown was the miracle child, Brown told WESH.
“Bebe and Brad, they struggled to get pregnant for 10 years and then they finally had Jesse,” Brown said.
The Orange County Public Schools Foundation established a memorial fund for Jesse to help his family with hospital and funeral costs.
The foundation said Jesse had attended Lakemont Elementary School since kindergarten and was a member of the school’s safety patrol.
“Jesse was kind and compassionate, caring for others, adventurous and truly an amazing friend and classmate,” the foundation said in a statement. “He also knew how to make the most of fun times with friends outdoors and lived his life to the fullest with his BMX and dirt bike racing.”
An increase in Staph-A infections in children
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is studying an increase in invasive group A streptococcal infections among children in the United States, the agency warned.
The sharp increase is likely due to the continued rollback of pandemic-era health precautions like masks and social distancing.
These infections can lead to somewhat mild illnesses ranging from strep throat to scarlet fever or more serious, even life-threatening illnesses such as necrotizing fasciitis strep toxic shock syndrome.
The CDC says parents should educate themselves about the symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis, strep toxic shock syndrome, and cellulitis and seek medical attention if they think someone in their household may have an infection.
According to the CDC, these are the possible symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis:
- a red or swollen area of skin that spreads rapidly
- severe pain
- fever
- dizziness
- changes in skin color
- one or more black spots on the skin
- ulcers or blisters on the skin
Learn more about the CDC’s advice page here.
Anika Hope and Senait Gebregiorgis of The Associated Press and WESH-TV contributed to this report.