Florida records third death from Vibrio vulnificus this year
The Florida Department of Health confirmed a third fatal Vibrio vulnificus infection in 2026, bringing the statewide death toll to three as cases continue to rise.
Florida health officials reported a third death linked to Vibrio vulnificus in Bay County, raising the 2026 death count to three out of 17 confirmed infections statewide. The department’s data show two additional patients in Bay County, aged between 35 and 39 and 55 and 59, though it does not specify which individual died.
The first fatality of the year occurred in Palm Beach County on July 23, followed by a second in Marion County in early August. Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that thrives in warm salt and brackish waters, can cause severe illness when it enters an open wound or is ingested through raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters.
"About one in five people with a Vibrio vulnificus infection dies, sometimes within just a day or two of becoming sick," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted.
People with compromised immune systems, liver disease, cancer, diabetes or other underlying conditions face higher risk of severe outcomes. Symptoms may include gastrointestinal distress, fever, chills, or wound inflammation such as redness, swelling and discharge.
State health officials advise avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish and keeping open wounds away from warm coastal waters. Anyone experiencing symptoms after exposure should seek medical attention promptly.
Florida recorded 33 cases and five deaths in 2025, and 82 cases with 19 deaths in 2024.