Flesh-eating bacteria have caused several deaths in Florida and Louisiana this summer. How to reduce your risk of Vibrio vulnificus infection before swimming in the ocean.

Published

4 weeks ago

August 12, 2025

Health officials in several states are alerting residents about a flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm coastal waters.

Approximately 60 cases of Vibrio vulnificus have been confirmed in 11 states, according to Today. The highest numbers have been in Louisiana (17 cases, including 4 deaths) and Florida (16 cases, including 5 deaths). North Carolina has also seen 7 cases, Yahoo News confirmed with the state’s Department of Health and Human Services via email.

Vibrio vulnificus cases are considered rare, with between 150 and 200 infections reported in the U.S. each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. However, many people with an infection can become seriously ill, requiring intensive care or limb amputation. “About 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Does this mean you should avoid the ocean altogether? Here’s what to know and what safety measures to keep in mind:

What is Vibrio vulnificus?

Vibrio are a type of bacteria that thrive in warm coastal waters during the summer months from May to October. This includes salt water and brackish water, which is a mixture of salt and freshwater often found where rivers meet the ocean. The bacteria are found particularly along the Gulf Coast states like Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi.

There are different kinds of Vibrio that can lead to various infections. Vibrio vulnificus can be particularly dangerous because it can cause severe and life-threatening infections. This specific type of bacteria is known as “flesh-eating” because it can destroy muscle tissue and skin. “Many people with [Vibrio] vulnificus wound infection require intensive care or surgical tissue removal,” the CDC says.

How do people get infected?

There are two ways that people can get infected:

When a person’s open wound is exposed to ocean water or seafood contaminated with Vibrio bacteria. A small cut, scrape or wound from a recent surgery, piercing or tattoo can allow bacteria in. This can happen when a person goes swimming or fishing or prepares raw seafood.
When someone eats raw or undercooked seafood or ingests contaminated water while swimming. Oysters, in particular, can concentrate the Vibrio bacteria inside them.

What are the symptoms of a Vibrio infection?

These are the common signs and symptoms of a Vibrio infection, according to the CDC:

Signs of a Vibrio bloodstream infection:

Dangerously low blood pressure

Signs of a Vibrio wound infection:

Pain, redness, swelling, warmth at the wound site
Discoloration (turning a color other than normal)
Discharge (leaking fluids)

The Cleveland Clinic and the CDC advise people to go to the emergency room immediately if there are signs of a suspected Vibrio vulnificus infection.

Are some people more at risk of an infection?

Anyone can become infected with the bacteria through a wound. People with underlying health conditions like liver disease, diabetes and immunocompromising conditions are at higher risk for wound infection, according to the CDC.

How can people stay safe?

Florida’s Health Department and the CDC provide some tips to prevent Vibrio vulnificus infections:

Don’t eat raw oysters and other raw shellfish. Instead, cook them thoroughly.
Avoid cross contamination with raw seafood and other cooked food or shellfish.
If you have an open wound or broken skin, avoid warm salt or brackish water, if possible.
Cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if it could come into contact with coastal water, raw seafood or its drippings or juices.
Wear protective gloves or clothing when handling raw shellfish.
Be vigilant after coastal floods, hurricanes and storm surges. Coastal waters forced into inland areas increase the risk for Vibrio wound infections, particularly for people who are older or who have underlying health conditions.

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Where to see the blood moon lunar eclipse Sept. 7–8

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September 7, 2025

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The second total lunar eclipse of 2025 will transform the full moon into a coppery-red “blood moon” on the night of Sept. 7–8.

This long-lasting, impressive eclipse is visible to billions worldwide, but exactly what you’ll see depends on where you’re watching it from.

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Internet disruptions in Middle East and South Asia after Red Sea cable cuts | Internet News

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Microsoft warns customers of ‘increased latency’ in connectivity and says efforts are under way to resolve the issue.

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Internet disruptions have been reported in the Middle East and South Asia after multiple undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, tech giant Microsoft, which has been criticised for its links to Israel as its war on Gaza rages on, said in a statement.

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September 7, 2025

Aleem Maqbool

Aleem MaqboolBBC Religion Editor

BBC A boy with dark curly hair in a red polo shit stands, smiling at the camera, with his hands on his hips, in front of a field and hills — Carlo Acutis has become the first millennial saint

A London-born boy has become the first millennial saint, in a ceremony steeped in an ancient ritual presided over by Pope Leo on Sunday.

In his short life, Carlo Acutis created websites documenting “miracles” as a means of spreading Catholic teaching, leading some to nickname him God’s influencer.

His canonisation had been due in late April, but was postponed following the death of Pope Francis.

More than a million people are estimated to have made a pilgrimage to the Italian hilltop town of Assisi where Carlo’s body lies, preserved in wax.

But there is another pilgrimage site associated with Carlo Acutis that has seen an increase in visitors since it was announced that he was to be made a saint – Our Lady of Dolours Church in London.

The font at the back of the Roman Catholic church in the Chelsea area was where Carlo was baptised as a baby in 1991.

To the side of the church an old confession booth has been converted into a shrine to him. In it, a relic holder contains a single strand of Carlo’s hair.

“His family were in finance and they were working really temporarily in London,” says Father Paul Addison, a friar at the church.

“Although they didn’t use the church much, they decided to come and ask to have the child baptised. So Carlo was a flash, a very big flash, in the life of the parish community,” he says.

A friar in a dark cloak stands next holding the lid of a font, between a framed picture of a boy in a red top and a framed baptism certificate — Father Paul Addison shows the font where Carlo was baptised in 1991

Carlo was not yet six months old when his parents moved back to their home country of Italy, and he spent the rest of his life in Milan.

There, he was known for a love of technology and is said to have enjoyed playing video games.

While some who knew Carlo Acutis say he did not appear to be especially devout, as a teenager he did create a website – pages of which are now framed at the church in Chelsea – in which miracles were documented.

A shot of a corridor with pillars and chairs lined up, with the focus of the camera on a series of printed and framed webpages — Pages of Carlo’s website are now framed at Our Lady of Dolours Church in Chelsea

But he died of leukaemia aged just 15.

In the years after his death, Carlo’s mother, Antonia Salzano, visited churches around the world to advocate for him to be a saint.

As part of the process, it had to be proved her son had performed “miracles”.

“The first miracle, he did the day of the funeral,” says Carlo’s mother.

“A woman with breast cancer prayed (for) Carlo and she had to start chemotherapy and the cancer disappeared completely,” she explains.

A woman in brown glasses, a brown coat and orange scarf looks to the side of the camera, stood in front of a hedge — Antonia Salzano has spent years advocating for her son to be made a saint

Pope Francis attributed two miracles to Carlo Acutis and so the test was passed and he was due to be made a saint on 27 April.

But Pope Francis died during the preceding week.

Some followers who had travelled to Rome for the canonisation instead found themselves among the tens of thousands of mourners at the late pontiff’s funeral – Diego Sarkissian, a young Catholic from London, was one of them.

He says he feels a connection to Carlo Acutis and is excited by his canonisation.

“He used to play Super Mario video games on the old Nintendo consoles and I’ve always loved video games,” Mr Sarkissian says.

“The fact that you can think of a saint doing the same things [as you], wearing jeans, it feels so much closer than what other saints have felt like in the past,” he says.

Approval for someone to become a saint can take decades or even centuries, but there is a sense that the Vatican fast-tracked Carlo Acutis’ canonisation as a means of energising and inspiring faith in young people.

The Catholic Church will be hoping Sunday’s events do just that.

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