Florida reports first Vibrio vulnificus death this year and 12 confirmed cases
The Florida Department of Health said an elderly patient died from a Vibrio vulnificus infection, marking the first fatality this year, and confirmed a total of 12 cases across the state.
An elderly resident of Palm Beach County, estimated to be between 80 and 84 years old, died from a Vibrio vulnificus infection, the first fatality recorded in Florida this year, the state health department reported on Thursday. The department said the bacterium, sometimes referred to as "flesh-eating bacteria," has been confirmed in 12 patients statewide, including two additional cases in Palm Beach County and two in Miami-Dade County. The remaining eight infections were identified in Bay, Hillsborough, Lee, Marion, Okaloosa, Polk and St. Johns counties. In 2025 the state recorded five deaths and 33 cases of the infection.
"Eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters, and swimming in marine waters with an open wound increases the risk of exposure to the bacteria," the health department warned. It added that individuals with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe symptoms such as fever, chills, septic shock and blistering skin lesions.