Florida reports 22 Vibrio vulnificus cases and four deaths in 2026
The Florida Department of Health said 22 infections and four fatalities from the Vibrio vulnificus bacterium have been confirmed this year, while neighboring Gulf states also see cases.
The Florida Department of Health announced on Sept. 17 that the state has recorded 22 confirmed Vibrio vulnificus infections and four deaths for 2026. The latest update added a case in Santa Rosa County involving a patient aged between 25 and 29. The bacterium, which thrives in brackish coastal waters, can cause severe tissue damage and is most dangerous for people with compromised immune systems.
Four fatalities have been documented this year in Bay, Broward, Marion and Palm Beach counties, compared with 33 cases and five deaths reported in 2025. Along the Gulf Coast, Louisiana reported 17 cases and six deaths, Mobile County, Alabama logged 11 cases, Mississippi three, and Texas four. South Carolina, which does not require reporting, indicated three cases and one death.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that about 20% of those infected die, and symptoms can appear within 24 hours of exposure, including fever, skin lesions, and gastrointestinal distress. Health officials advise avoiding contact between open wounds and brackish water, washing exposed skin after water exposure, and thoroughly cooking seafood, especially oysters. People with liver disease, diabetes, HIV, cancer, or those on immunosuppressive medication are at higher risk.
"Going to the beach for a day of fun is not worth it," said Genevieve Gallagher, who lost a leg after a Vibrio infection last year. "If you have a cut on your leg, a mosquito bite that you scratched and it's open, if you shaved your legs before you are going to the beach the next day, you are leaving those little microscopic openings for this bacteria to make its way in."