Latest news with #coastalWaters
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Flesh-eating bacteria kill four in Florida after terrifying surge in infections... how to stay safe
Health officials have issued an urgent warning over deadly, flesh-eating bacteria spreading on beaches across the US. The Florida Department of Health announced this week that four residents have died from vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters. Another nine cases have been confirmed this year, the department said. Last year, 82 cases and 19 deaths occurred in the state, which officials said is due to the impact of Hurricane Ian. Deaths this year occurred in Bay, Broward, Hillsborough and St Johns counties, all of which are found on the Florida coasts. No further information has been released about the victims. Vibrio vulnificus enters the body through even the smallest of scrapes, infiltrating the bloodstream. From there, it releases enzymes and toxins that break down proteins, fats and collagen, destroying skin and muscle tissue. It also evades the immune system's defenses while triggering a widespread inflammatory response that causes even more tissue damage. Reduced blood flow to the infected area worsens this damage, ultimately leading to the death of tissue beneath the skin. This results in amputations to try and cut away the infection or, in severe cases, death. Vibrio requires warm water to grow and proliferate, making the southern coasts prime breeding grounds. However, colder regions are becoming gradually more hospitable as ocean temperatures rise, attracting and nurturing colonies of the bacteria. Vibrio infections have been confirmed on the East coast, Alaska, the Baltic Sea, and Chile, which scientists now believe could be the next hotspots. The CDC has not issued an annual report on vibrio in the US since 2019, when 2,685 infections were reported. Previous reviews on East Coast states from 1988 through 2018 showed vibrio wound infections increased eightfold, from about 10 cases to more than 80 annually. Vibrio vulnificus can also infect a person who eats raw or undercooked shellfish, causing painful abdominal cramps and diarrhea, and, in cases where the bacteria enter the bloodstream, sepsis and death. The CDC estimates that 80,000 Americans are infected with vibrio every year, although there are only 1,200 to 2,000 confirmed cases annually, as it is often misdiagnosed. Vibriosis, the infection caused by the bacteria, is typically treated with antibiotics, specifically doxycycline and ceftazidime. Once the bacteria reach the bloodstream, the infection is fatal about 50 percent of the time. The threat from the insidious bacteria is only growing, scientists say. Sky-high seafood consumption around the world, using coastal waters for recreational activities, and the compounding effects of global climate change are setting humans up to see a marked increase in both reported cases and fatalities in the near future,' according to scientists from the UK and Spain. The vast majority of vibrio infections have occurred in Florida, tied to post-hurricane flooding, and Texas, largely due to fishing and oyster harvesting injuries, as well as Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The Florida Department of Health warned residents: 'Water and wounds do not mix. Do not enter the water if you have fresh cuts or scrapes.' Officials also urged people who are immunocompromised to wear protective footwear to prevent cuts or injuries on the beach.
The Guardian
20-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Tackle industrial fishing, but local inshore fleets deserve support
According to George Monbiot, fishing is 'the most destructive of all private industries' (Attenborough's Ocean is the film I've been waiting my whole career for – now the world must act on its message, 13 June). Have fossil fuel lobbyists finally got to him? Monbiot is right to highlight our complacency with overfishing, but in our attempts to tackle industrial fishing's worst abuses, especially unchecked bottom trawling, we should not demonise small‑scale fishers – our ocean's most powerful custodians. Across the globe, small‑scale fishers using low‑impact gear in coastal waters are on the frontlines against industrial overfishing. They're the first to feel the impacts of ocean decline and the best-placed to propose solutions. Is it true that 'the fishing industry trashes everything'? No. Some gears, like bottom trawls, are indeed destructive and should be restricted. But small-scale fisheries using low-impact gears are the opposite. They use environmentally friendly methods to provide healthy, low-carbon food to coastal communities. Is fishing really 'the most destructive of all private industries'? No. Fossil fuel, mining and chemical lobbyists will be smiling as readers direct their ire towards the local inshore fishing fleet. Should the UK government redirect funding away from fishing and let the industry fade? No. Current subsidies unfairly favour industrial vessels with outsized impacts. Redistributing funds and rapidly scaling investment in small‑scale fisheries would deliver dividends through resilient food systems, enhanced food security, sustainable livelihoods and greater climate resilience, alongside healthier ecosystems. Should the oceans be closed to fishing, bar a few gazetted areas? No. Coastal waters should be fully co‑managed with small-scale fishers to ensure they are stewarded for future generations. The world is awakening to the impacts of bottom trawling. Now it must wake up to the vital importance of small‑scale fisheries – and CollinsonAdvocacy manager, Blue Ventures I read George Monbiot's article with interest. I am one of the producers of Rupert Murray's 2009 film The End of the Line, which was about marine destruction, was funded in part by Channel 4, and broadcast by it. This film did not 'carefully avoid' blaming the fishing industry, and an independent study showed that it had an impact on public attitudes, corporate behaviour and political policy. That film drew heavily on the previous work of Charles Clover, who appeared in the film and whose 2004 book of the same title was a milestone in the campaign to save the world's oceans. It is not just a question of making good and powerful programmes. Today, those have to have a celebrity at the front of them, and a lasting impact is achieved by a sustained and continuous campaign from civil society groups and journalism – in George's words 'those whose job it is to inform us'. My concern is that after Ocean, the BBC will think 'job done' and everyone else in the media will agree. Christopher HirdDartmouth Films Many of us echo George Monbiot's 'At last!' in response to David Attenborough's film. But I was disappointed that the names of the trawlers plundering the oceans were blurred. It is about time the international companies plundering our oceans' ecosystems were publicly shamed. Environmental NGOs, especially local ones using citizen scientists to gather data in their own time and often unpaid, have amassed millions of pieces of relevant data, especially from inshore waters. Yet we still have long 'consultations' on marine protected areas, usually resulting in nothing changing. I have completed four in recent years about Scottish inshore waters. There is collusion between UK governments and their national scientific and nature conservation organisations in this, and environmental NGOs, in fear of losing finance, grants etc stay silent. The government has procrastinated in ratifying the 2023 UN high seas treaty agreeing to put 30% of these waters into marine protected areas. Ecosystems are the lifeblood of our oceans and ultimately us. Overfishing, short-term greed and financial returns are the name of this game. Stop the politics of delay – do it now!Dr Sally CampbellLamlash, Isle of Arran Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
