Man Dies After Swimming With New Tattoo (Photos)

A man died after swimming with a fresh tattoo and developing sepsis. 

The unidentified Hispanic man reportedly ignored the advice of people who told him to wait two weeks before going into pools or bodies of water, and ultimately decided to swim in the Gulf of Mexico just five days after getting his tattoo.

The new ink quickly became infected with a flesh-eating bacteria that caused chunks of his skin to fall off. 

The man’s story was documented in the medical journal BMJ Case Report. 

The day after he swam in the sea, the man developed a fever and a red rash near the artwork. Over the next two days, he became weaker and was ultimately taken to hospital. Doctors discovered patches of his skin that turned purple, and suspected that the illness was caused by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. 

The man, doctors discovered, already had cirrhosis that was caused by his habit of drinking six beers a day. This weakened his liver and made him more vulnerable to infection.

He was given antibiotics but within 24 hours was placed on life support as his organs began to fail. He fought septic shock and battled his illness for two weeks before doctors finally got his symptoms to a manageable enough place for him to be sent home. 

A few weeks later,  the man suddenly died of septic shock that caused his kidneys to fail, the Daily Mail reported.

Many readers said the man should have listened to the advice he was given and avoided going into the water with his new tattoo.

“That bacteria is not something 2 mess around with!!!!!!” one Mad World News reader commented on the site’s Facebook page. “I’ve seen people lose several limbs and their lives because of this bacteria!!!!!!!”

“And this is what happens when u don’t listen it’s common sense,” another added.

Some readers felt as thought tattoos should be avoided altogether. 

“I will sound boring but I don’t feel the need to put ‘art’ on my body anyway, I’m happy with how I look and this stuff really doesn’t need to be plastered all over people,” one Daily Mail reader commented. “Waste of money. But each to their own!! Rest in peace.”

Others felt the judgment about tattoos was unwarranted.

“Why are there so many comments hating on tattoos?” one reader commented. “It says a lot about you if you judge somebody just because they have a tattoo. I have tattoos, I work in the teaching profession, I’m highly educated. Going off the comments on here I’m also a much nicer person than those of you who don’t have tattoos. Would love to hear what you do in your daily life that makes so much difference. Certainly nothing important.”

Sources: Daily Mail, Mad World News/Facebook / Photo credit: Pexels, BMJ Case Reports via Daily Mail