A medic has warned of the serious hazards of sharing certain cosmetic items — after a woman was left wheelchair-bound as a result of borrowing her friend’s make-up brush.
Dr Samuel Choudhury, a doctor based in Singapore, shared the cautionary story of Jo Gilchrist, an Australian woman who became paralysed after using the item to cover a pimple.
The split-second decision in 2015 would prove life changing as her friend was suffering a bacterial infection called Staphylococcus, which was affecting her face.
The bacteria entered a small cut on her face and travelled through her bloodstream to her spine, where it developed into an infection so painful she described it as ‘worse than childbirth’.
To make matters worse, the bacteria was a specific strain called Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), which is a type that’s developed a dangerous resistance to the antibiotics like penicillin that are normally used to treat Staphylococcus infections.
Ms Gilchrist ultimately required emergency surgery and was left wheelchair bound for years after the incident.
In a clip posted to Instagram, which has over 30,000 likes, Dr Choudhury said while cases like Ms Gilchrist’s were ‘extremely rare’, they demonstrated the potential dangers of sharing certain personal items.
‘It can still happen to anyone…say no to MRSA (and) don’t share make-up brushes,’ he said.
Singaporean medic Dr Samuel Choudhury shared the cautionary story of Jo Gilchrist (pictured), an Australian woman who became paralysed after using the item to cover a pimple
Social media users reacted with horror to the story.
‘New fear unlocked,’ one wrote.
‘This video made me go to clean my brushes,’ another added.
MSRA naturally lives on human skin and normally causes no problems, however if it gets inside the body, like via a small cut, it can cause a serious infection that needs immediate treatment.
The bacteria can easily spread from person to person via shaking hands and sharing towels and other personal grooming items.
Ms Gilchrist, a mother of one from Queensland, previously told MailOnline that the initial pain was so mild she dismissed it as a minor ailment.
‘It started as a little ache in my back and I thought it was my bad posture, but it kept getting worse and worse,’ she said.
‘I was in incredible pain and nothing would work. I honestly thought I was going to die – the pain was worse than childbirth.
Ms Gilchrist requiring emergency surgery and the damage from the infection in her spine left her wheelchair bound for years after
‘By the time I got to the Brisbane hospital, they were basically telling me to say goodbye.’
She was left with no choice but to undergo an immediate operation to remove an abscess caused by the infection that was strangling her spinal cord.
Following the emergency surgery, Ms Gilchrist was told the infection had damaged her spine so severely she would never walk again and would be confined to a wheelchair.
However, she defied the odds and after pain staking physiotherapy she triumphantly walked out on stage in 2019.
The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency recorded nearly 800 patients with an MRSA infection in England in the year ending March 2023 of which just over a fifth were fatal.
This is significant decrease in cases compared to 2008 when nearly 4,500 were recorded.
The majority MRSA-related fatalities in Britain are among patients aged 75-years-and-over.
British health officials estimate there are currently 1.4 cases of MRSA infection per 100,000 people each year, and many of the infections are contracted in hospital.
However, she defied the odds and after pain staking physiotherapy she triumphantly walked out on stage in 2019
The NHS says signs of an MRSA infection in the skin include an area where the tissue looks red, is painful and swollen, feels warm to the touch and leaks pus or liquid.
Signs that MRSA has infiltrated another part of your body include a high temperature, difficulty breathing, chills, dizziness and confusion.
People with signs of an MRSA skin infection should contact their GP for advice.
Patients with symptoms like difficulty breathing, confusion, blue, grey, pale or blotchy skin, or a rash that doesn’t fade when you roll a glass over it should contact 999 or go directly to A&E.
