Louisiana health officials are urging beachgoers to take precautions during a summertime surge of infections from a flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters.
Louisiana has confirmed nine cases of vibrio vulnificus infections this year, which can be severe and life-threatening, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a news release from the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), the organization said that all nine patients were hospitalized and five have died.
“During the same period over the previous 10 years, Louisiana reported an average of seven cases and one death. All nine cases reported this year were associated with wounds exposed to seawater, and all patients had underlying health conditions,” the LDH said.
Vibrio bacteria occur naturally in warm coastal waters and are found in higher numbers from May to October, when water temperatures are warmer, according to the LDH.
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“Infection can occur when an open wound is exposed to brackish or salt water or when a person eats raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters. Vibrio infection can result in gastrointestinal illness, wound infection, or blood poisoning (bloodstream infection),” the Department of Health added.
About one in five people with a vibrio vulnificus infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill, the LDH noted.
Anyone can get a vibrio infection but the risk of severe complications is highest among people who have liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia, according to the Department of Health.
Vibrio vulnificus can enter the body through unhealed cuts and scrapes, recent piercings and tattoos and recent surgical incisions.
People who receive immune-suppressing treatment, take medicine that reduces stomach acid or have recently undergone stomach surgery also have a risk of severe complications.
Signs of vibrio wound infection include fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth around the wound, skin discolouration, drainage or discharge.
The LDH advises people to seek medical care immediately if a wound exposed to salt water becomes red, swollen, painful, warm or discoloured.
In order to reduce the risk of the flesh-eating bacteria, it’s advised to stay out of brackish or salt water if you have an open wound, cover wounds with waterproof bandages if they come in contact with water and wash wounds thoroughly.
It’s also advised to cook seafood thoroughly, wash your hands with soap and water after handling raw shellfish — particularly oysters — and keep cooked seafood separate from raw seafood.
Florida, which tends to have more infections than other states, has reported 14 vibrio vulnificus cases and two deaths so far this year, compared with 33 cases and five deaths for all of last year. Records show more cases in years when Florida is hit by tropical storms and hurricanes.
Louisiana saw a similar spike in vibrio infection last year, with the LHD confirming the fifth death from the infection last September and 26 cases reported among Louisiana residents.
“Nationally, 150 to 200 cases of Vibrio vulnificus are reported annually in the U.S., with approximately 50% of cases occurring in Gulf States (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida). To date, in the U.S., Louisiana and Florida have seen the greatest number of cases and deaths,” zthe LDH said in a news release.
— with files from The Associated Press
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