text: Nancy Reed died Sept. 15 of necrotizing fasciitis, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science, which reported that the dangerous skin condition resulted in complications related to "blunt trauma of an upper extremity." 
   
   The death is the county's 36th Harvey-related fatality. 
   
   Reed was a widowed community volunteer who lived in Kingwood, a northern suburb of Houston, according to the Houston Chronicle. 
   
   At least one rescuer was also infected with the condition during the hurricane and its aftermath, the newspaper said. 
   
   Former firefighter and medic J.R. Atkins survived his bout with the bacteria, caused by an insect bite while he was assisting flood-ravaged victims in suburban Missouri City. ||||| Kingwood woman confirmed as Harvey death from flesh-eating bacteria Woman infected in flood-ravaged home 
   
   
   
   >>Remembering those we lost during Hurricane Harvey. less Nancy Reed, 77, died on Sept. 15 of “flood-necrotizing fasciitis” complicating blunt trauma of an upper extremity via an accident, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. She is the county’s 36th official Harvey-related death. The Kingwood woman fell in her flooded home and died from flesh-eating bacteria acquired through the injury. Her death was added on Sept. 25 to Harris County’s official list of storm fatalities. Nancy Reed, 77, died on Sept. 15 of “flood-necrotizing fasciitis” complicating blunt trauma of an upper extremity via an accident, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. She is the ... more Photo: Courtesy Of Family Photo: Courtesy Of Family Image 1 of / 60 Caption Close Kingwood woman confirmed as Harvey death from flesh-eating bacteria 1 / 60 Back to Gallery 
   
   A Kingwood woman who became ill after falling into Harvey floodwaters at home died from flesh-eating bacteria, the Harris County medical examiner's office ruled. 
   
   Nancy Reed, 77, died on Sept. 15 of flood-related necrotizing fasciitis, an infection that spreads quickly through muscle tissue and can cause organ failure. 
   
   Reed was the second known case of the bacteria related to the floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey. Rescuer J.R. Atkins, a former firefighter and medic, was contaminated through an insect bite on his arm while helping Missouri City neighbors. He survived. 
   
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   "It's tragic," said Dr. David Persse, director of the city's emergency medical services. "This is one of the things we'd been worrying about once the flooding began, that something like this might occur. My heart goes out to the family." 
   
   According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial skin infection that kills the body's soft tissue, spreads quickly and can be fatal in a short time. Prompt diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics can prevent death. 
   
   The infection is not considered a reportable disease in Texas, meaning doctors or laboratories who diagnose it are not required to alert health authorities. But they are required to report many of the organisms that cause the disease — streptococcus, E. coli, vibrio vulnificus and certain types of drug-resistant staphylococcus. 
   
   Strep is the most common cause of flesh-eating bacteria. Vibrio is the most common in salt water. 
   
   Since 2010, the CDC has documented 700 to 1,100 cases of necrotizing fasciitis annually caused by group A strep, but details were not immediately available how many deaths were caused by the infection. 
   
   Reed fell at her son's home in Kingwood, breaking and cutting her arm, according to a family friend. After the injury became infected, she was treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital - The Woodlands and then taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital - Texas Medical Center, where she died. 
   
   The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences concluded that the infection complicated the blunt trauma to her arm. Reed is the county's 36th death to be officially linked to Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, which contributed to more than 75 deaths statewide. 
   
   Reed was remembered during a memorial service on Friday at First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood. 
   
   According to her obituary, Reed was a community volunteer and chief executive of the LivingTributes.com website of online memorials to the deceased. She was widowed with one son, John Reed. 
   
   Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Jan. 4, 1940, she was a former elementary school teacher and worked at The Reed Agency with her husband, Gary, until he died in 1999. She was also president of the Reed Foundation. 
   
   "Nancy was a kind, caring member of the Kingwood community and gave of her time and many talents generously," her obituary said. 
   
   She was active in her church, serving on multiple committees, and worked with the Village Learning and Achievement Center and the Upbring Krause Children's Center. 
   
   Her relatives could not be reached for comment. ||||| EMBED More News Videos J.R. Atkins tells reporter Kevin Quinn about his battle with a rare bout of flesh-eating bacteria after Harvey. 
   
   EMBED More News Videos Doctors in Houston are working on a vaccine they hope will fight off flesh-eating bacteria. 
   
   A Missouri City man says he contracted flesh-eating bacteria right in his own neighborhood as he was trying to help his neighbors during Hurricane Harvey.With flood waters still rising and a mandatory evacuation in effect, J.R. Atkins hopped into a kayak to check on elderly neighbors who were staying behind during the emergency."A day or two before, it was going to be at critical mass," Atkins said.Only later did he realize his arm was swelling up."That's not good," he said.What started as a mosquito bite on his arm during the flood landed him in the ER before a stay in intensive care.When he got there, he was quickly diagnosed with flesh-eating bacteria, and it was advancing so rapidly his heart rate was quickly dropping to critical levels."That was when I got concerned," Atkins said.Doctors stabilized Atkins and put him on at least four antibiotics, but he had to endure three surgeries to relieve pressure in his arm and debride the wound.Atkins, a former paramedic, has medical knowledge which led to both calm and concern."Once I got past the 'imminent death,' that wasn't...it wasn't as scary after that," he said.Harris County Public Health officials said this sort of infection is rare, typically only seen in those with compromised immune systems. But they have seen an uptick since the flood in people with skin gastro-intestinal and respiratory infections.Just because the water is gone doesn't mean the threat is completely, says Dr. Umair Shah."I think that's the big misnomer," Dr. Shah said. "People think, 'Oh, I don't have water anymore, I'm not at risk."The bacteria can still be present on anything the floodwaters touched, Shah said.Meantime, researchers with the Houston Methodist Research Institute are studying group A strep infections that can lead to this flesh-eating disease.They've identified a critical target which they hope can help reduce the severity of infections or clear them up more quickly.That development could save countless lives and decrease the amount of suffering for so many who otherwise must deal with this silent disease.One thing public health officials said should be clear: You should throw out anything that can't be disinfected. It's not worth the risk of infection, which apparently can still occur even though the waters are gone.By the way, Atkins says if there is another flood, he would go back out and try to help his neighbors again, even though he knows he could put himself at risk.
target: – A Texas woman fell into Hurricane Harvey floodwaters at her son's home and ended up dead from flesh-eating bacteria. Nancy Reed, 77, is the second known person to contract flood-related necrotizing fasciitis after Harvey, the Houston Chronicle reports. She died Sept. 15, but the Harris County medical examiner's office just ruled on her cause of death. The quick-spreading infection, which can cause organ failure and death in a short amount of time, also hit rescuer JR Atkins while he was helping his neighbors; he contracted it through an insect bite but survived. "This is one of the things we'd been worrying about once the flooding began, that something like this might occur," says the director of the city's emergency medical services. "It's tragic." When Reed fell, she broke and cut her arm, and the injury got infected, a family friend says. The medical examiner's office concluded the infection caused complications related to "blunt trauma of an upper extremity," the Dallas News reports. A doctor warns KTRK that even after floodwaters recede, the dangerous bacteria can remain on anything floodwaters touched.