‘Basketball Wives’ star Mehgan James raises alarm over popular Bahamas beach after model friend lost leg to flesh-eating bacteria

‘Basketball Wives’ reality star Mehgan James is warning travelers concerning the dangers of flesh-eating bacteria within the Caribbean after a dream vacation resulted in a friend’s limb being amputated.

April 9, Jacob he tweeted, “So considered one of my friend’s friends lost her leg to flesh-eating bacteria within the Bahamas… she shaved her leg, cut herself on a razor, after which went to Pig Island. 4 weeks later no leg. They couldn’t determine what it was until it was too late. It’s crazy.”

Pig Island is often often called Pig Beach amongst tourists and Big Major Cay amongst locals. The beach is positioned on a deserted island within the Exuma Cays within the Bahamas. The capital of the Bahamas, Nassau, is roughly half-hour by plane and 6 hours by ferry. The island received its unofficial name from the population of untamed pigs living on the island.

Stories vary about how the feral pigs got here to the island, but they’ve nevertheless turn into a serious tourist attraction, with tourists feeding them and swimming with them (though this shouldn’t be beneficial).

The former “Bad Girls Club” solid member continued her story in a TikTok video posted the identical day.

“One of my friend’s friends went to the Bahamas. Remember that she is a model and an actress,” she began. “She went on a bunch trip to the Bahamas. She was there for a couple of days. She realized that she needed to shave her legs, so she shaved her legs, and within the strategy of shaving her legs, she cut herself, as if she had cut herself. She cleaned the wound, forgot to bandage it and just went to the beach.

The Basketball Wives star says her friend woke up with leg pain the following day, but she ignored it and continued her journey. A couple of days later, she returned to the United States and her ankle swelled. That’s when she decided to see a health care provider.

Unable to determine the reason behind the pain, the doctor sent the model home with ibuprofen, but just a couple of days later her symptoms worsened.

“Two or three days later her leg. She woke up and her leg was bigger than an elephant,” James said. “She could barely walk. She was hospitalized again, and on Sunday a blood sample was taken from her and it turned out that she had a flesh-eating bacteria.

She continued: “This girl had to have her leg cut off all the way to her torso. So I honestly warn you: if you are out of the country and you have any open wounds, do not go into the water.”

What happened to James’ friend of a friend shouldn’t be the primary time it has happened to a visitor to Pig Beach. Atlanta resident Jennifer Barlow created GoFundMe page to help along with her recovery after nearly losing her life after being infected with a rare flesh-eating bacteria that causes necrotizing fasciitis.

“The bacteria are believed to have started from a small cut on her leg exposed to ocean water during a trip to the Bahamas,” the GoFundMe reads. “The infection spread so quickly and violently that her brother found her unconscious at home, requiring paramedics to take her to the hospital, where she was immediately diagnosed with septic shock.”

Harlow spent two weeks in a coma because bacteria entered her bloodstream. Harlow decided to amputate her leg after 30 surgeries and spending three months in intensive care.

What is necrotizing fasciitis?

According to the National Institutes of Health, necrotizing fasciitis will likely be a direct consequence of bacteria entering through a break or cut within the skin. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococci strains are liable for most of those single-source infections. A rare bacterial infection spreads quickly throughout the body and may cause death.

Bacteria can enter the body through cuts, burns, scratches, insect bites, punctures and surgical wounds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the easiest way to prevent that is to wash your hands incessantly and clean and dress wounds.

‘Basketball Wives’ star Mehgan James raises alarm over popular Bahamas beach after model friend lost leg to flesh-eating bacteria