Posted on 09/17/2023 12:46:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
There’s a warning about a dangerous bacteria that might have infected a local woman who’s still recovering after nearly two months in the hospital. An online fundraising effort says she contracted the bacterial infection after eating fish and is now a quadruple amputee.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a warning about a bacterial infection that people can get by eating raw or undercooked fish or by exposing an open wound to coastal waters. A friend tells us this San Jose woman likely got this specific infection after eating undercooked tilapia.
A San Jose mother’s life is changed forever. Laura Barajas, 40, has had her limbs amputated while battling a bacterial infection.
“It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,” said Barajas’ friend Anna Messina.
Messina says back in late July Barajas had bought tilapia from a local market for dinner. She cooked it and ate it alone. Within days, she got very ill and was then hospitalized.
“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” Messina said. “They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing.”
Now, a month and a half later, Barajas is without her arms and legs.
Messina believes the infection was caused by Vibrio vulnificus — a bacterial infection the CDC has been warning about.
“The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are one-you can eat something that’s contaminated with it the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives,” said UCSF Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode.
Spottiswoode says the bacteria is especially concerning for people who are immunocompromised.
The CDC says about 150-200 cases of the infections are reported each year and about one in five people with the infection die — sometimes within one to two days of becoming ill.
Salesforce CEO: Why can’t SF be ‘clean and safe’ every day? “People should take sensible precautions like if you have a cut avoid getting immersed in water until it’s well healed,” Spottiswoode said. “If you are someone immunocompromised keeping an eye on these things and avoiding those high-risk activities and foods.”
Messina says she and Barajas’ family are still waiting to learn more about what happened. She hopes people realize how precious life can be.
“Be thankful for what we have right now because it can be taken away so quickly so easily,” Messina said.
Messina has set up a GoFundMe to help with her friend’s medical expenses. So far, it has raised more than $20,000.
Some people raise tilapia for their own consumption. That’s the only way to control the quality.
Ok, that was a cruel joke!
...and hilarious!
Tilapia only became more in use because so many other fish people ate normally, were fished down to such low numbers.
I would bet people do it raw.
Or she just didn’t cook it enough.
Oh yes. They ate a lot of animal fat (bacon grease, pig skins etc...) and they all lived well into their 80s. But they did not snack unless it was a piece of fruit.
If one ever saw a tilapia farm you would run far far from that garbage fish. Catching catfish from a portajohn at a Texas chili cookoff is more sanitary.
Not everyone can prepare catfish properly but I've some that was delicious.
I have eaten it twice and the last is like poison to me. I cannot and will never eat it again.
Disgusting. Frankenfish.
I won’t buy or cook tilapia, even though it’s half or less the price of any other fish on offer. Won’t buy farm raised salmon, either. That fresh looking color is dye they put in the feed. Probably shouldn’t trust the “Wild Caught” labeling on the Pacific Cod, Steelhead Trout, and Salmon, but if you adore seafood the temptation is too much. Argentine pink shrimp are wonderful, but God only knows how long before they’re adulterated as well. Wish I lived on a beach with surf fishing gear.
That SEALS the deal for me forever. I have heard before that there are health problems with farm raised Tilapia and now I will NEVER eat Tilapia again. Not a big sacrifice since its taste is nothing special.
I agree, that's the likely scenario, regardless of her claim otherwise.
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