A migrant detained in a desolate area of New Mexico near the US border has been diagnosed infected with a flesh-eating carnivorous bacteria, the Border Patrol reported on Friday.
The migrant was taken to a hospital days ago when he informed an agent that he had a rash on his leg, according to Border Patrol spokesman Carlos Antunez.
The carnivorous bacterium corresponds to a rare condition called necrotizing fasciitis, which spreads rapidly and can cause death. The bacteria usually enters the body through a mild cut or a scratch and can cause a serious infection with the possibility of destroying muscles, skin and other tissues.
Border Patrol officials said in a statement that the unidentified migrant will need extensive medical treatment, but Antunez said he could not give more details about the case.
Sometimes it is necessary to remove the affected area by surgery. It is very rare for the infection to pass to another person.
The man was arrested near the small town of Lordsburg. The country of origin of the migrant was not released.
Another 300 migrants, mostly Central Americans, were arrested Friday south of Lordsburg, near an official border crossing between Mexico and the United States, Antunez said. Some of the migrants were sick and injured and were taken to hospitals for their care.
This desert and sparsely populated area has recently registered a great transit of groups of migrants.
Nearly 10,000 migrants were detained at the three stations of the New Mexico Border Patrol since October 1, according to authorities.
The three stations accumulated 12 thousand 800 arrests from October 2017 to September 2018.
