Two Australians contract flesh eating virus

SYDNEY, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Two people have been admitted to a Sydney hospital Tuesday for treatment of necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly referred to as the flesh eating virus.

The 57-year-old man and 46-year-old women are reported to be in a stable condition however Sky News has said the man's skin had been "stripped from his lower back down to his feet."

It is not yet known how the pair contracted the disease, however the condition usually enters the body through cuts and insect bites, attacking muscle and tissue.

If not treated with powerful antibiotics, bacteria can begin to eat the skin causing gangrene, loss of limbs and organ failure.

"There is no risk to the public health and the community should not be alarmed," Blacktown hospital said in a statement.