Louisiana documented nine Vibrio vulnificus infections, including five deaths and four hospitalizations, warning that warmer coastal waters heighten risks posed by the bacteria.
Health officials urged people with open wounds to avoid seawater and be careful when handling or eating seafood.
Officials at the Louisiana Department of Health linked this week’s nine Louisiana cases to wounds exposed to seawater. The patients also had pre-existing health conditions, increasing the risk of severe Vibrio infections and complications.
Vibrio bacteria naturally occur in brackish and coastal waters. People are susceptible to infections when they have an open wound and come into contact with contaminated water or by eating raw or raw shellfish, especially oysters.
Vibrio infections are not uncommon from May through October as seawater temperatures are warmer. In recent years, however, Vibrio vulnificus outbreaks were documented in areas such as Long Island Sound, considered too cold to support the bacteria.
U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency researchers said cases of Vibrio infections could increase by 5 in 10 by 2090, when compared with 1995, due to rising sea temperatures.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least a dozen Vibrio species can cause vibriosis, a disease that can range from mild gastrointestinal symptoms to severe, life-threatening infections. Each year, CDC said there are about 80,000 cases of vibriosis that occur in the United States.
Vibrio vulnificus is one of the most dangerous species. About 20 percent, or 1 in 5 people who develop an infection, die. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Once the infection enters the bloodstream, the infected person will experience severe low blood pressure and blistering skin lesions.
Louisiana’s outbreaks are part of a broader pattern occurring in other states. This year, Florida has documented 14 Vibrio vulnificus infections, with two deaths, according to the Florida Department of Health. One infected person died in Marion County in central Florida. The other in Palm Beach County.
Florida health officials warned that the risk of infection increases following severe weather events, such as storms and hurricanes. The state recorded 19 Vibrio vulnificus deaths two years ago, when Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck Florida.
Louisiana health officials advised people with open wounds to avoid saltwater and brackish water. If a person’s wound is exposed to such water, they should wash it thoroughly with soap and clean water. Officials also advised people to cook seafood thoroughly and keep cooked seafood separate from raw seafood to reduce the risk of infection.
