A bacterial contagion has kill at least eight people in Florida this class so far , wellness officials report recently . Twenty masses in the body politic overall have been sickened by the waterborne bacteria Vibrio vulnificus , a relative of cholera infamously known for sometimes get a physical body - eating contagion .
Vibrio bacteria are find abundantly in marine surroundings and brackish waters . Harmful speciesof Vibrio , includingV. vulnificus , usually make us grisly when we eat naturally contaminate and undercooked seafood or drink water contaminated by other infected the great unwashed ’s feces , the latter a common job in area with poor sanitation . These infections cause gastrointestinal symptoms , peculiarly looseness .
But V. vulnificus also has the inauspicious ability to causenecrotizing fasciitiswhen it finds its way into open wounds : a rapidly spreading infection that starts to kill off skin and underlie brawn as early as a day after exposure ( hence its charming nickname of the “ flesh - eating disease ” ) . The infection can then ready off a potentially fatal immune reception called sepsis that involve contiguous intervention . Even with discourse , one in five victims die , while survivors may be left with tumid scars or cut off limb .
A person walking on the beach during sunset on 26 April 2025 in Marco Island, FloridaPhoto: Marc Serota (Getty Images)
There are many species of bacteria that can cause necrotizing fasciitis , but in Florida , V. vulnificus has been a persistent if still very rarefied source of these nightmarish infections .
According to the Florida Department of Health , 20 the great unwashed are acknowledge to havecontractedV. vulnificus in the state this class as of former September . Eight have died as a result , with the a la mode death being confirmed Friday by Leon County official , accordingto Outbreak News Today .
Wound infection from V. vulnificus are thought to be most common during the summer months , when more people are out drown . So the flesh - eating season may be sop up to a close before long . That said , it ’s the most death report in Florida since 2018 , which visualize nine deaths .
Necrotizing fasciitis is very rare in general . But some scientistsworrythat these infections could becomemore commonin the years to come , thanks in part to mood alteration . Warmer body of water temperature , high ocean levels , and more frequent extreme weather events that chair to flooding are all risk factors that will in all likelihood let out us to V. vulnificus more often . So , yeah , just some food for thought for thought .
Bacterial diseasesMedicine
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