Dr. Jim Fortenberry with Children's Healthcare in Atlanta is an expert on the bug. He said you're going to hear about this because it's not that uncommon.
"Approximately 10,000 to 15,000 cases occur each year around the United States with 200 to 300 deaths reported," said Fortenberry.
That translates to as many as 300 cases in Georgia every year. He said it's important to keep cuts clean, and if they start to get worse, to see a doctor.
The unidentified Forsyth County woman's case follows another headline-making story about the disease. Twenty-four-year-old Aimee Copeland suffered a deep cut May 1 when she fell from a broken zip-line over a west Georgia river. She then contracted a rare infection called necrotizing fasciitis.
Doctors amputated her leg, foot and both hands. She's now recovering at an east Georgia rehabilitation center.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/7/251293