Vibrio vulnificus continues to sicken people in Louisiana as the state urges residents to take precautions.
By Cara Lynn Shultz
NEED TO KNOW
The death toll from an outbreak of flesh-eating bacteria continues to rise, with health officials confirming a fifth person has died
Vibrio vulnificus bacteria thrive in brackish water, and people can be sickened by eating tainted seafood or going in the water with open wounds or cuts.
Although some people with preexisting conditions are more likely to get severe illness, the state health department says “anyone can get a Vibrio infection”.
Five people have now died in Louisiana, and dozens of others have been sickened, amid an ongoing outbreak of cases of vibriosis, an illness caused by the flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus.
The Louisiana Department of Health confirmed the latest death on Sept. 16, as the coastal state “continues to see a higher number of Vibrio cases and deaths than are typically reported.”
It’s more than double the cases from last year; in 2024, there were ten people sickened by Vibrio and one death. This year, there have been 26 known cases of vibriosis, and all patients have required hospitalization, according to the health department.
Vibrio’s are a flesh-eating bacterium that thrives in saltwater and brackish water (a mix of salt and fresh water). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people are sickened by vibrio after eating raw or undercooked shellfish — particularly oysters — because the bacteria can “concentrate” inside the shellfish.
Two of the deaths in Louisiana were linked to tainted oysters, but the Department of Health says 85% of those sickened “reported wound/seawater exposure.” Vibrio can cause an infection if a swimmer has an open cut or scrape, or recent tattoo or piercing.