I knew a guy from Houston that went wade fishing in the Gulf a few years ago and got the flesh-eating bacteria. He had several joints amputated and eventually croaked. He had an open wound, scratch, whatever, on his leg that allowed the nastiness to invade his system. Terrible way to die, in a hospital bed while having joints removed.
His name was Mel and he was a good guy and tavern friend. Any jokes about this are not funny (not you) and you don’t have to be in some crappy part of the world. This guy was fishing off Freeport, Texas, south of Galveston.
So sorry for your loss. Yes, it is a terrible way to die.
When I am gardening, I try to be extra careful with any cuts I incur because of the risk of infection from many types of bacteria. I think it is possible to pick up one of these nasty Strep strains from soil, but I am not sure.