Man dies after ignoring warnings not to swim until new tattoo had stayed 2 weeks

Usually, people who get new tattoos are advised to wait for two weeks before going swimming and this is to avoid getting an infection, but a man failed to heed that warning and went ahead to swim, leading to his death.

The 31-year-old, whose name was not given, went swimming in the sea in the Gulf of Mexico only five days after getting a cross tattooed on his right calf.

Sadly, his action resulted in him suffering septic shock and an infection called cellulitis, ultimately resulting in his death.

After swimming, the deceased's tattoo area became infected with flesh-eating bacteria and he developed a fever and serious rash surrounding the tattoo area. Two days later, his condition deteriorated and he was taken to hospital. Doctors saw patches on his leg had turned a bruised purple color so they suspected he had the Vibrio vulnificus infection - which he was at a higher risk of due to suffering from a chronic liver disease.

The man was placed on a life support machine but his organs began to fail within 24 hours. He had a drinking habit which is believed to have already weakened his liver, thereby making him more vulnerable to infections. For a couple more weeks, his condition remained stable before he went into septic shock, and his kidneys failed completely. He died two months after his admission into hospital.