Florida and Louisiana report 25 Vibrio vulnificus infections with seven deaths

State health officials have confirmed 15 cases of Vibrio vulnificus in Florida and 10 in Louisiana since the start of the year, with seven deaths reported — two in Florida and five in Louisiana. The bacterium, which naturally occurs in warm coastal and brackish waters, can cause severe illness when it enters the body through open wounds or consumption of raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters. > "One is you're wading around in the water where these bacteria kind of thrive, and you contact the bacteria in an open wound, or you eat raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters," said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.

Symptoms range from fever, chills, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea to more serious signs such as low blood pressure and blistering skin lesions if the infection spreads to the bloodstream. Wound infections may present with redness, swelling, pain and discharge, and can progress to necrotizing fasciitis, sometimes requiring surgery or amputation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that about one in five infected individuals die, often within days of symptom onset.

The CDC advises people with open wounds to avoid saltwater or brackish water, or to cover wounds with waterproof bandages and wash them thoroughly afterward. It also recommends against eating raw or undercooked oysters and stresses proper hand washing after handling raw shellfish. Antibiotics are reserved for severe or prolonged cases, while mild infections are managed with hydration and supportive care.