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Efforts to clean up Florida from the effects of Hurricane Ian continue so far
A Florida county that was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian last month has seen an increase in the number of cases and deaths from human carnivorous bacteria.
Lee County officials, where the Category 4 storm met with land on September 28, confirmed that the number of infections with this type of bacteria has reached 29 cases, as well as four deaths.
And he uncovered those cases, with the exception of only two cases, after the hurricane that engulfed the region.
Vibrio faltifix infection is transmitted by the entry of this type of bacteria into the body through open wounds.
These bacteria live in warm, highly saline waters such as stagnant flood waters.
A Lee County Public Health Authority spokesperson said Monday that “the Lee County Public Health Authority in Florida is monitoring the abnormal increase in the number of Vibrio faltifix infections following exposure to standing water left by Hurricane Ian.”
The statement urged area residents to be “aware at all times of the potential hazards that can result from exposure to superficial and cut wounds and skin scratches to hot and highly saline water and salt water in general.”
“Intrusion into sewage caused by Hurricane Ian can lead to increased levels of bacteria. As the situation evolves in the post-cyclone period, people should take preventive measures against infections and diseases that can be caused by Vibrio faltifixes, “he added.
And three cases have surfaced in Collier County, south of Lee County, Florida, which officials say were likely infected with storm-related causes.
And this year 11 people have died from this type of infection in Florida, in addition to 65 people who have had this infection so far, according to data released by the state health authorities. Officials have suggested that about half of that number of cases were infected with this bacterium as a result of the hurricane.
The state of Florida has recorded 34 cases of this infection, as well as 10 deaths from the infection in 2021. The relevant health authorities have also suggested that this type of bacterium was the cause of the deaths of 7 people in 2020.
These bacteria are also called “meat eaters” because they cause a necrotizing skin infection, a condition that causes tissue damage, but it is not the only species that causes it.
Statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States indicate that one in five people infected with Vibrio Valtifix will die a day or two after becoming ill.
The infection can cause sepsis, and treatment workers may resort to amputation to prevent the infection from spreading to other parts of the patient’s body.
