PSA-Flesh Eating STD arrives in England (nsfw?)

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A rare sexually transmitted disease (STD) that can destroy genital tissue has turned up in the United Kingdom, according to news reports.

The disease, called donovanosis, was diagnosed in a woman in Southport, England, within the past year, according to local news outlet Liverpool Echo.

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Donovanosis is an STD caused by a bacterium called Klebsiella granulomatis, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The disease is rarely seen in the United States, with only about 100 cases reported per year, mostly among people who have traveled to or are from areas where the disease is common, the NIH says. Donovanosis is also rare in the U.K. But it's common in some tropical areas, including parts of India, Papua New Guinea, the Caribbean, central Australia and southern Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease can start out as small, painless sores (ulcers) on the genitals. The sores slowly get larger and form raised, red bumps that bleed easily, according to SA Health, the public health system in South Australia. As the disease spreads, it can destroy genital tissue and cause the skin around the area to lose color, the NIH says. [Quiz: Test Your STD Smarts]

The infection "causes lesions and skin disintegration as the [patient's] flesh effectively consumes itself," Shamir Patel, a pharmacist for the British online pharmacy Chemist-4-U.com, told Liverpool Echo.

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