A boy contracted a potentially fatal flesh-eating virus after going on a beach trip with his family.
The youngster developed a horrifying skin condition after going swimming with his grandparents off the coast of Ocean City in Maryland, USA, last Saturday.
The child fell ill the next evening and broke out in "small spots" all over his body, AOL.com reported .
The next day, his mum Brittany Carey noticed that his skin lesions had deteriorated and rushed him to hospital for treatment.
She is now speaking out in order to raise awareness about the dangerous condition that can often proved deadly.
"Tuesday morning there were open wounds developing but I had thought he was scratching them, making them worse," she explained in a Facebook post.
"Only to find when I picked him up Tuesday they were a lot bigger and a lot more."
After visiting hospital, doctors prescribed the boy with antibiotics which did not initially help.
But on Thursday doctors diagnosed him with Vibrio vulnificus - a bacterial infection that usually enters the body through a break in the skin or through raw or undercooked seafood.
The disease is also known as necrotizing fasciitis - a potentially fatal flesh-eating disease that eats healthy body tissue.
The prompt treatment by medics has helped the boy overcome the dangerous infection without issue.
In an update, Brittany later said her son is on the mend and that her pediatrician is "really happy" with his progress.
She has warned other parents to be vigilant over the symptoms of the rarely-discussed skin condition.
"Please be careful out there guys and if you start seeing wounds such as these please get somewhere fast!"
