There’s something extra unsettling about the words flesh-eating and beach season being in the same sentence. But that’s where we are.
A bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus is spreading across five southern states, and it has already been linked to nine deaths this year. It lives in warm, salty, not-super-clear water—the kind you wade into barefoot while holding a beer—and it’s hitting Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina the hardest.
The bacteria can enter your body in two ways, and neither is ideal. The first is through open wounds, which include scrapes, cuts, tattoos, piercings, and yep, even razor burn. The second is through the consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters.
If that sounds like a particular attack on your vacation plans, that’s because it sort of is. According to state health departments, most cases so far have been linked to wound exposure, but several have been tied to the consumption of raw seafood. Either way, once it’s in, things can get serious fast.
The Flesh-Eating Bacteria That’s Infecting People Across the South
Doctors say symptoms can go from “that looks red” to “get in the ambulance” in a matter of hours. High fever, swelling, intense pain, and oozing wounds are common. In the worst cases, the infection can spread to your bloodstream and trigger blisters, confusion, dangerously low blood pressure, and tissue death—hence the “flesh-eating” nickname.
Some people have needed amputations. Others didn’t survive. The Florida Department of Health says bloodborne infections from Vibrio vulnificus have a fatality rate of around 50 percent.
And while the bacteria isn’t new—it was first reported in the 70s—it’s showing up more often, especially as ocean temperatures rise. Louisiana typically sees about seven cases a year. This summer alone, it’s already had 17.
Florida has had at least 13, with four deaths. North Carolina has seen nearly 60 Vibrio cases across different strains. Some health departments are blaming the spike on hotter water and hurricane-related flooding. Climate change, once again, is playing all the hits.
The best way to protect yourself is, unfortunately, also the least fun: don’t go into the water if you’ve got any open skin, no matter how small. Skip the raw oysters unless you know they’re from a safe, regulated source. And if you’re immunocompromised or have liver issues, be especially cautious—doctors say you’re at higher risk of life-threatening complications.
No one’s saying cancel your beach plans—maybe rethink the combo of open wounds and seafood you bought out of a cooler.
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