Flesh-eating bacteria kills eight in US, prompting warnings of swimming in sea and eating shellfish
A rare, flesh-eating bacteria has killed eight people on the US east coast, prompting warnings from authorities over swimming in the sea and eating shellfish.
Five of the deaths from the vibrio vulnificus bacteria occurred in Florida. The other three fatalities took place in Long Island, New York and Connecticut.
Health officials warned people with open wounds to stay out of the water to avoid being infected.
The two people who died in Connecticut are understood to have been swimming in Long Island Sound, a tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean.
A third victim was taken to hospital after reportedly eating raw oysters at an out-of-state establishment.
Health officials in New York are still examining how the person came into contact with the bacteria.
“While rare, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made it to this region and can be extraordinarily dangerous,” Kathy Hochul, New York’s governor, said.
“As we investigate further, it is critical that all New Yorkers stay vigilant and take responsible precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including protecting open wounds from seawater and for those with compromised immune systems, avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish which may carry the bacteria.”
The five deaths in Florida occurred in the southeastern state’s Tampa Bay area.
In all, there have been 26 reported cases of vibrio vulnificus infections in the state since January. Last year, Florida reported 74 cases and 17 deaths.
The high death toll in 2022 was attributed to bacteria levels increasing after Hurricane Ian spilled sewage into the ocean.
According to one estimate, the bacteria causes 800,000 illnesses and around 100 deaths in the US each year, with most infections taking place during the summer as the weather warms up.
Surge of infections
A surge in infections in recent decades, which saw rates jump eightfold between 1998 and 2018 in the US, has been linked by experts to climate change.
Research published earlier this year in the journal Nature Portfolio found that bacteria and infections were spreading northwards up the east coast at a rate of about 30 miles a year, as the coastal waters where the bacteria lives warms.
If contracted from eating undercooked shellfish, the disease causes gastrointestinal symptoms including fever, chills and vomiting.
The bacteria is linked to necrotising fasciitis, a potentially fatal fast-spreading bacterial infection which kills one in five people. Treatment can entail limb amputations. Those most at risk are people with a compromised immune system.
William Schaffner, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine urged people to take basic precautions to reduce the risk of infection. “If you’re immunocompromised and have a new injury that hasn’t healed, stay out of the water. This is the time to relax in the sun instead,” he said.
