Flesh-eating micro organism continues to be a deadly drawback in Florida, inflicting 26 circumstances of necrotizing fasciitis and 5 deaths to date this yr, in line with up to date knowledge from state well being officers.
The micro organism, scientific title Vibrio vulnificus, might be ingested by consuming uncooked shellfish, oysters particularly, in addition to by exposing open wounds to heat seawater that’s extra prone to be contaminated, the Florida Department of Health stated.
While for wholesome people the bacterial signs are milder, the very younger, the aged and the immunocompromised are in danger for extra intense signs. In addition to the pores and skin breakdown, wound an infection and ulcers, victims can even undergo fever, chills, septic shock and blistering pores and skin lesions, state well being officers stated.
The knowledge, present as of Friday, additionally reveals that not all Florida counties are affected equally.
For instance, Hillsborough County has had 4 circumstances and two deaths, and Escambia County has had 4 circumstances and no deaths; Dade, Duval, Palm Beach, Volusia and Pinellas counties are amongst 17 statewide that haven’t but had any circumstances.
One sufferer every additionally died from the micro organism in Pasco, Polk and Sarasota counties, FDOH knowledge confirmed.
State well being officers stated there was no proof of human-to-human transmission; nonetheless, a Hillsborough County resident suffered a case in February that docs linked to an incidental chew he obtained breaking apart a struggle between two kin.
“A human bite is dirtier than a dog bite as far as the kinds of bacteria that grows. Normal bacteria in an abnormal spot can be a real problem,” Dr. Fritz Brink, an HCA Florida Northside Hospital common surgeon and wound care specialist, advised the Tampa Bay Times.
While docs couldn’t decide whether or not or not the micro organism was airborne or human-borne earlier than getting into Mr. Adams’ wound, they had been sure {that a} chew from an individual in the end led to Mr. Adams’ an infection.
Historical knowledge from FDOH additionally reveals that hurricane season can result in a spike in infections as heat seawater is unfold farther inland by storms. In 2022, Lee County, Florida, had 28 circumstances and eight deaths linked to flesh-eating micro organism, exacerbated by Hurricane Ian.
Flesh-eating micro organism is just not an issue restricted to Florida.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services stated in a report in late July that three Vibrio circumstances had led to loss of life within the state so far in 2023. Two of the circumstances had been linked solely to wounds uncovered to heat seawater; the third sufferer each uncovered wounds to seawater and consumed seafood they caught themselves.
A current loss of life in Suffolk County, New York, has additionally been linked to Vibrio vulnificus.
“While rare, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made it to this region and can be extraordinarily dangerous,” Gov. Kathy Hochul stated in a press release final week, including that New Yorkers ought to take precautions reminiscent of “protecting open wounds from seawater and for those with compromised immune systems, avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish which may carry the bacteria.”
New York officers proceed to research whether or not the micro organism got here from the state’s waters or shellfish, or from elsewhere.
Neighboring Connecticut, in the meantime, has had three circumstances in 2023 as of Friday, with two deaths.
The three victims had been all between 60 and 80 years outdated, with two circumstances linked to brackish water in Long Island Sound and one case linked to shellfish fished outdoors the Sound eaten at an out-of-state institution.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health didn’t specify which case had a surviving sufferer. These three circumstances had been the primary suffered within the state in three years.
Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com