CDC warns of flesh-eating bacteria as coastal waters warm
- Vibrio vulnificus is found in warm coastal waters
- It's usually contracted when an open wound is exposed the bacteria
- Although it can be fatal, no human-to-human transmission has been reported
(Getty Images)
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(NewsNation) — The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory notifying healthcare workers of flesh-eating bacterial infections linked to warming coastal waters.
Extreme weather such as floods, hurricanes and storm surges put people in more inland areas at an increased risk of infections, especially people who are older or have underlying health conditions.
Vibrio are bacteria that naturally live in coastal waters and cause an estimated 80,000 illnesses each year in the U.S., according to the CDC. Among the different species of the bacteria that exist, one — vibrio vulnificus — can lead to life-threatening infections.
About 150-200 vibrio vulnificus infections are reported to the CDC each year, killing one in five people, according to the CDC.
The bacteria is primarily contracted through open-wound contact with salt water or brackish water. Some infections are associated with eating raw or undercooked seafood. No person-to-person transmission has been reported.
Extreme weather such as floods, hurricanes and storm surges put people in more inland areas at an increased risk of infections, especially people who are older or have underlying health conditions.
Several East Coast states including Connecticut, New York and North Carolina reported severe and fatal infections following heat waves and warming waters in July and August, according to the CDC.
