Pair hospitalised with flesh-eating bacteria

The pair contracted the bacteria in the Pacific Islands. Photo / File

Two people have been hospitalised in NSW after contracting a rare flesh-eating bacteria.

A man and a woman were being treated in Blacktown Hospital yesterday afternoon.

Sky News reports a male patient, 57, had his skin "stripped from his lower back down to his feet" and a woman, 46, "has been affected from the knees down".

The two patients are unrelated but picked up the condition in Polynesia, the Daily Telegraph said.

A spokeswoman for Western Sydney Local Health District told news.com.au the two patients were in a stable condition, but it is believed they could be transferred to Westmead Hospital in Parramatta if the situation worsens.

Two ppl in Blacktown Hospital with rare necrotising fasciitis,acquired in Polynesia. No risk to public health.

— West Sydney Health (@WestSydHealth) January 17, 2017

The WSLHD spokeswoman added: "There is no risk to public health and the community should not be alarmed."

It is understood both patients were from the Mt Druitt area and were affected by necrotising fasciitis, a condition that can enter the body through a break in the skin or from an insect bite.

If left untreated, the bacteria can eat away at the skin and lead to permanent disfigurement, gangrene and severe stress on the body's organs.