Health officials confirmed that there are 31 people infected with 10 dead due to the vibrio bacteria infection found in salty waters in Florida. However, they warned the public not to panic yet.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vibrio vulnificus is a bacterial infection closely related to choleric bacteria. They are usually found in saltwaters because they need salt to survive. Infection can happen when contaminated seafood is eaten or a wound was exposed to saltwater. People infected would suffer from diarrhea, stomachache and vomiting. If the blood is contaminated with the bacteria, symptoms like chills, high fever, blistered wounds, and decreased blood pressure may manifest.
Dr. James Oliver of the University of North Carolina, an expert on vibrio vulnificus, said that the bacteria are present all over the world but because of its warm and salty waters, more cases are reported to originate from the Florida state.
Other areas have also reported cases of vibrio infections, according to the Washington Post. In Mobile, Alabama, there were two males who had contracted the disease. Both were trapping crabs in sea water. One of them is being treated in the hospital. The other died last month.
This may be a huge concern for those states which have a large expanse of sea water and those who rely on the sea for a living. Experts however say they are not yet bothered with the outbreak.
State health department spokesperson Diane Holm in Lee County said that the statistics provide no significant increase from the past two years. Florida reported nine deaths in 2012 and 13 before that. The only difference this year is that it will be broadcasted in media.
Patty Konietzky, together with the daughter of her diseased husband, will soon discuss the disease on the TV program, The Doctors.
Her husband is one of the fatalities of this year’s vibrio infection. The Florida couple stayed in sea water to catch crabs in the Halifax River which is close to Ormond Beach. Although she believes that it is not necessary for people to avoid the rivers and seas in Florida, she thinks that people ought to be aware of the risk of vibrio infection.
