Louisiana health officials are warning residents to take precautions against Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially deadly flesh-eating bacterial infection, after five people died from the illness this year.
The Louisiana Department of Health issued the warning Thursday, urging people to understand the risks associated with exposure to contaminated coastal waters and raw or undercooked shellfish.
Nine Vibrio vulnificus infections have been reported in Louisiana so far this year, including five deaths. During the same period over the previous 10 years, the state averaged seven cases and one death annually.
According to the health department, all of this year’s cases were connected to wounds exposed to seawater. Every patient also had at least one underlying health condition.
Vibrio vulnificus bacteria occur naturally in coastal waters, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infections are more common during the summer, when warmer water temperatures allow the bacteria to multiply.
People can become infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters, or when an open cut or wound comes into contact with saltwater or brackish water, the CDC says.
About one in five people with a Vibrio vulnificus infection dies, according to the agency. The infection can progress quickly and requires immediate medical attention.
Although anyone can contract Vibrio vulnificus, the Louisiana Department of Health says the highest-risk groups include people with liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV or thalassemia; those receiving immune-suppressing treatment; people taking medication that lowers stomach acid; and individuals who recently underwent stomach surgery.
Symptoms of a Vibrio vulnificus infection may include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, according to the CDC.
Residents should seek medical care immediately if a wound exposed to saltwater or brackish water becomes red, swollen, painful, warm or discolored. Health care providers should be told about any recent water exposure.
Louisiana experienced a similar rise in Vibrio infections last year, when at least 17 cases were reported in the state. Health officials said at least 10 people in Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina’s Outer Banks died from the infection last year.
Source: www.nbcnews.com