Five people have died in the Tampa, Florida area, and another three in New York and Connecticut, from a rare flesh-eating bacterium, authorities said.
The deaths were caused by the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus, which can be found in raw or undercooked shellfish, and in salty or brackish water.
The Florida Department of Health reported the deaths of two people from that cause since January in Hillsborough County, and three others in the surrounding counties of Pasco, Polk and Sarasota. Overall, the state has recorded 26 cases so far this year.
This rare bacterium has caused other deaths in the country. On Long Island, one person died from this cause, New York Governor Kathy Hochul reported this week. And two other fatalities were reported in Connecticut, where a third person was also infected. One of these victims reported eating raw oysters at an out-of-state establishment.
Vibrio vulnificus, the dangerous flesh-eating bacterium
Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that usually lives in warm salty or brackish water. It is part of the Vibrio family that are called ‘halophilic’, because they require salt.
The health authorities of the state of Florida have warned that you should not enter the sea or brackish waters if there is a recent wound or crack in the skin, since this can be a route of infection, in addition to the consumption of raw shellfish.
Last year, 74 cases and 17 deaths were reported in Florida due to this bacterium, which some call ‘flesh-eater’, due to the way the infection manifests itself. The numbers were higher than normal due to the impact of catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Ian.
Vibrio vulnificus causes necrotizing fasciitis in which skin tissue dies off. Until recently its cases were concentrated mainly in the area of the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic, but lately cases have been reported as far north as Connecticut and New York, especially on the East Coast, where they have multiplied.
The US Centers for Infectious Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that vibriosis causes approximately 80,000 infections and 100 deaths in the United States each year.
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