Warning to Brits after flesh-eating bacteria disease confirmed in holiday hotspot
At least eight people have died and 13 cases detected of the flesh-eating bacteria vibrio vulnificus.
UK holidaymakers travelling to Florida this summer are being warned of a flesh-eating bacteria which has killed at least eight people, according to US media. It has been reported that Florida's Department of Health confirmed at least 13 cases of vibrio vulnificus.
Eight cases are believed to be linked to exposed wounds, and officials are now warning that the infections can be "sporadic and unrelated to an outbreak." A vibrio vulnificus outbreak has also been reported in Louisiana, with 17 cases recorded so far this year.
The alarming case numbers come after a year of high infection rates. According to The Jerusalem Post, 18 infections and 19 deaths were reported last year, which was the highest number recorded so far.
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Vibrio vulnificus is part of a group of vibrios called "halophilic", which normally lives in warm seawater as it requires salt to live.
The Express reports that health officials have also linked recent cases to natural disasters, including Hurricane Helene last year, which hit Florida.
According to reports, coastal waters pushed inland by the weather increase the risk of infection. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bacteria is found in saltwater and brackish water.
Infection can lead to severe illness or even death within just a day or two. People with the infection can experience diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, fever and chills.
Health officials in the US have urged people to cook seafood properly before eating it, wash their hands after handling raw seafood, and sanitise wounds to avoid infection.
Anyone can become ill if exposed to the bacteria. However, those with weakened immune systems as well as those with health conditions such as cancer or liver problems, may be more susceptible to infection and are more likely to experience severe illness, according to health officials
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explained that the bacteria can cause life-threatening infections in open wounds, saying: "Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection require intensive care or limb amputations," the experts said.
"About 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill."
The Mail reports Basil Kennedy, of Bay St Louis, near New Orleans, died in the hospital on July 21, just days after contracting Vibrio vulnificus.
The 77-year-old's family are now raising awareness as cases continue to rise. The grandfather of two, who was a long-time sailor, became infected after he suffered a cut on his leg on the trailer on a boat, which he launched into the Mississippi waters.
Basil cleaned his wound with hydrogen peroxide and covered it with a plaster, but within three days, he was taken to the hospital. He tragically died of organ failure days later.