Vibrio deaths rise in Florida and Louisiana as officials warn beachgoers

Southern health officials are warning beachgoers and seafood eaters after additional deaths linked to Vibrio bacteria, according to The Hill, USA Today, and state health data.

Vibrio lives naturally in warm coastal and brackish water. Most people who get vibriosis recover. A more dangerous species, Vibrio vulnificus, can cause severe wound infections and necrotizing fasciitis, sometimes called flesh-eating disease. About one in five people with that severe infection die, sometimes within a day or two.

Florida has confirmed two related deaths this season. Louisiana health officials reported five Vibrio vulnificus deaths as of mid-August, with 10 total cases, all tied to wound or seawater exposure in state tallies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says peak season runs May through October when water is warmest. The bacteria are most common along the Gulf Coast but have been found farther north.

People usually get sick by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters, or by swimming with open wounds. Even small cuts, scrapes, piercings, tattoos, or recent surgical sites can let bacteria in. There is no way to tell by looking whether an oyster is contaminated.

Dr. Omer Awan of the University of Maryland School of Medicine told NewsNation the message is caution, not panic. Cover wounds with a waterproof bandage before entering coastal water. Wash cuts with soap and clean water after contact with seawater or raw seafood.

Symptoms can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Infected wounds may show redness, pain, swelling, warmth, color change, or discharge. People with weakened immune systems face higher risk of severe disease. Antibiotics treat serious cases, and surgery is sometimes required for wound infections.

CDC guidance remains simple: cook seafood thoroughly, clean surfaces that touch raw shellfish, and keep open wounds out of coastal water.