Two dead after getting flesh-eating bacteria from eating raw oysters

Two people are dead after they contracted a flesh-eating bacterium eating raw oysters in Louisiana, a state health official said.

The deaths were due to Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that is naturally occurring in warm coastal waters and more common between May and October.

Vibrio bacteria can lead to illness when an open wound is exposed to coastal waters or when a person eats raw or undercooked seafood, according to health officials.

In addition to the two oyster-related deaths, two other people with the bacteria have died this year in Louisiana, according to the Louisiana Health Department.

“Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection can become seriously ill and need intensive care or limb amputation,” the department said. “About one in five people with this infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.”

The state has experienced “a higher number” of Vibrio vulnificus cases and deaths this year, the department said.

So far this year, 22 cases that led to hospitalizations have been reported among Louisiana residents. More than 80% of the reported cases stemmed from exposure of open wounds to seawater.

“During the same time period over the previous 10 years, an average of seven Vibrio vulnificus cases and one death have been reported each year in Louisiana,” the department said in a July news release.

The oyster-related deaths were reported this week at a Louisiana Oyster Task Force meeting that included a data presentation on all illnesses related to the consumption of Louisiana oysters.

One person was a Louisiana resident, and the other was from out of state, the spokesperson said.

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In Florida, the state Health Department has reported 23 cases of Vibrio vulnificus this year, resulting in five deaths.