Posted on 07/17/2025 1:55:35 AM PDT by Libloather
A type of flesh-eating bacteria has killed four people in Florida so far this year.
The state’s health department confirmed the deaths in a notice posted on the Florida Health website.
A total of 11 people have contracted the bacteria in 2025, according to the same source.
Vibrio vulnificus is part of a wider group of Vibrio bacteria, which are found in coastal waters, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states.
This specific bacterium, Vibrio vulnificus, typically lives in warm, brackish seawater, and can enter open wounds when people are swimming.
Another potential source of infection is raw shellfish, especially oysters, Florida Health noted.
**SNIP**
If Vibrio vulnificus enters the bloodstream, it can cause severe illness marked by fever, chills, septic shock and blistering skin lesions, according to Florida Health.
About half of these bloodstream infections are fatal.
Some severe cases can cause an infection called necrotizing fasciitis, which is when the flesh around an open wound dies, the CDC cautions. This rare side effect has led to Vibrio vulnificus being described as a “flesh-eating bacteria.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Last year was particularly bad for vibrio infections in Florida with multiple hurricanes and storm surge flooding.
Well, it is just a single swamp.
That is a goofy tattoo, just saying.
“You have to be pretty dumb to go to the shore with a gapping wound.”
A small micro abrasion is all that is needed the bacterial load for infection is a couple dozen individual bacteria. Have athletes foot yup, have jock inch yup, have some chafing from a swimsuit rubbing between the legs, yup. Any mucus membranes too, so get the contaminated water in your eyes,nose or mouth yup. It’s not had to catch 80,000+ people get it every year. It can even enter the mucous membranes of the reproductive tract women are at particular risk so are uncircumcised men. Again it’s luck of the draw if the bacteria is in the water and you swin through a plume of it there is a good chance it will find a way into your body.
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