Olde Hornet
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CDC warns of dangerous uptick in infections from flesh-eating bacteria in three states — officials say the cause 'is well-documented'
"A notable feature of these cases, beyond their severe clinical outcomes, is that they occurred in the wake of record-breaking U.S. heat waves."
What's happening?
The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published last February found that seven people from North Carolina and two people from New York and Connecticut became severely infected with Vibrio vulnificus last July and August.The waterborne and foodborne pathogen lives in coastal waters and can lead to necrotizing fasciitis — an infection in which tissue dies — if exposed to an open wound. Consumption of the bacteria via raw or undercooked seafood can lead to sepsis and gastrointestinal issues like watery diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.
The CDC suspected that six of the patients contracted the illness after having a wound exposed to marine or estuarine water. Two other patients had a cut on their hands when handling raw seafood as part of food preparation. Of the last two patients who provided exposure information, both ate raw oysters, while one had a wound exposed to brackish water. The ages of the afflicted patients ranged from 37 to 84.
Furthermore, four of the 11 patients experienced septic shock, while five eventually died from the infection.