Overview
- The Telegraph first reported a rise in cases, citing relatives and Ukrainian military medics, with wider independent verification still lacking.
- Frontline accounts describe blocked supply lines in the Zaporizhzhia region, makeshift care in bunkers, and evacuations curtailed by Russian drones.
- Deep, contaminated, low‑oxygen war wounds combined with delayed debridement and antibiotics are described as ideal conditions for Clostridia, particularly C. perfringens.
- Survival is said to depend on urgent surgical removal of affected tissue plus high‑dose, targeted antibiotics guided by laboratory cultures.
- An expert cited by The Telegraph estimates that even with treatment one‑third to one‑half of patients may die, reviving concern over a disease long rare in Europe.