Bacterial infection, which can cause “meat-eating” disease, becomes a bigger problem in US-and-climate change is at least partially to blame.
Several states along the Gulf Coast and East Coast have already reported higher than usual Vibrio vulnificus Cases and deaths this summer. Last week, for example, the Louisiana Department of Health issued warning to residents on increased reports of V. vulnificus. Experts argue that milder winters and warmer summers allow these bacteria to thrive more easily than before in warmer waters.
“Every water -sample we gather along the coast now contains some kind Vibration. This was not true two decades ago, “Rachel Noble, a microbiologist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Institute, Rachel Noble. told Local exit wral on Monday. North Carolina saw 59 reported cases of V. vulnificus and one death of July 31, according to a health department cited by Wral – the second highest average toll seen in 5 years.
V. vulnificus It is a relative of the bacteria that cause an era in humans. It is found in hot sea water or salt water and usually enters the body with open cuts or consuming raw shells. Infection Infections can trigger a life -threatening condition called non -rooting fascitisWhoever quickly kills skin and tissue surrounding the wound (although this decay looks like eaten meat, the bacteria themselves do not feed our skin).
Only about 150 to 200 cases of V. vulnificus is Reported Every year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it can kill one of every five people who capture it, sometimes within days. And there is growing evidence that its presence in the United States is growing and expanding in time. A study of 2023 Found This reported cases in the eastern United States increased eight times from 1988 to 2018, for example. Extreme weather events such as hot waves and hurricanes can also drive ears of the infection. Florida Experienced A record high of 82 cases last year, with many arriving as a result of Hurricane Helene.
Florida has just seen 13 V. vulnificus Cases and four deaths so far in 2025, not far from its usual trends. Other areas, however, saw Uptick. 17 cases have occurred in Louisiana so far, for example, with all the victims hospitalized and four dead as a result – well over the typical toll. Over the previous decade, the state had seen an average of seven cases and one death per year of V. vulnificus.
These “meat-eating” infections will remain a rare opportunity for the foreseeable future, but factors such as climate change and extreme weather events have and make them more common. So we need to be more careful in the waters carrying these bacteria. Health organizations recommend that you avoid salt or salt water if you are sports an open cut, for example, or at least, that you carry a waterproof bandage before entering the water. You also need to fully wash any cuts exposed to these waters or raw seafood. And you need to look for immediate medical care if you develop worsening skin infection around your cuts after these exhibitions, because non -fascinating fasciary can rapidly progress and make deadly if not treated.
