Flesh-eating bacteria killing beachgoers in Florida
State authorities reported at least 11 Vibrio vulnificus infections in recent months across central Florida's Bay, Broward, Hillsborough and St Johns counties, a region popular with holidaymakers and coastal communities.
'There's a lot of bacteria that just live in different areas, even in, like, waterborne spots,' Dr Daniel Egan, an infectious disease specialist at Orlando Health, explained to WESH.
'So there's fresh water, salt water, and this bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus likes salt water.'
The Florida Health Department did not provide details about the deaths this year.
Vibrio vulnificus infections are rare, with about 150 to 200 cases reported to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) annually.
But their consequences are often devastating. The bacteria can cause necrotising fasciitis, an aggressive infection in which flesh around an open wound dies.
Many people who contract Vibrio vulnificus require intensive care or even limb amputation.
The infection carries a 20 per cent death rate overall – and as high as 50 per cent if it enters the bloodstream. In many cases, death occurs within two days of symptoms appearing.
The bacterium is naturally occurring and thrives in warm, coastal saltwater and brackish environments.
With temperatures rising globally, experts fear it could spread to areas previously unaffected. It is typically most active between May and October when waters are warmest.
Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, chills, elevated heart rate and disorientation. While healthy people often recover, those with long-standing conditions or compromised immune systems, including cancer patients, are at far greater risk.
Cases have surged in recent years, reaching a record high in 2024. The CDC reported 19 deaths and 82 infections, nearly doubling 2023 figures. The spike was linked to an unusually high number of late-season hurricanes in Florida and south-eastern US.
'Exposure is higher'
Cases doubled after Hurricanes Milton and Helene, as floodwaters pushed warm saltwater further inland than usual, exposing more people to potential infection.
'There are people running around, lifting, moving stuff that normally they wouldn't do, so the probability of getting that cut or exposure is higher,' said Dr Kami Kim, the director of infectious disease at Tampa General Hospital, speaking to WUSF media at the time.
Climate change is expected to drive those numbers even higher. Warmer oceans fuel stronger storms and longer hurricane seasons, increasing the conditions in which Vibrio vulnificus thrives.
The US Department of Agriculture estimates the cost of infections from salt-reliant bacteria like Vibrio vulnificus will soar to $6.1 billion annually by 2090, up from $2.6 billion in 1995.
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