A father ‘nearly died’ from a flesh-eating bacteria after being attacked by a stingray while on holiday in Florida.
Michael Yarwood, 42, from Middleton, Greater Manchester, was stabbed by the creature’s poisonous barb while swimming in the sea near St Petersburg with his two children.
After his foot swelled to double its normal size and he started shaking uncontrollably, doctors told him he had contracted a potentially deadly flesh-eating bacteria.
However, after five days in hospital on an IV drip, Michael recovered and was able to travel home, though he still needs a stick to walk.
State health department officials have said that 31 people across Florida have been infected this year by this potentially deadly, yet common bacteria that lives in salt water – and 10 of those people have died.
The £5,000 holiday had been a treat for son Callum ahead of his 18th birthday, and they had driven out from their Bahama Bay resort to North Beach as it is regarded as the most beautiful in the US.
