The Florida Department of Health confirmed this Friday the first death of the year from Vibrio vulnificus, the bacteria commonly known as "flesh-eating."
The victim was a resident of Palm Beach County between the ages of 80 and 84, whose death was reported to the authorities in June, although the exact date of death was not specified.
The state has reported 11 confirmed cases of the disease so far this year, according to data from the department updated on Thursday.
Since the unofficial beginning of the summer season in May, seven of those eleven cases have been recorded, distributed across Lee County (two), Marion, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa, Palm Beach, and Polk.
The bacteria do not "eat" the flesh in a literal sense: they produce toxins that destroy tissue, which can lead to decomposition of the skin, ulcers, and in the most severe cases, infections in the bloodstream.
According to the official site of the Florida Department of Health, these systemic infections are fatal about 50% of the time, and many patients require intensive care or limb amputations.
The two routes of infection are contact with open wounds in warm coastal and brackish waters, and the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters.
The symptoms of a wound infection include fever, redness, pain, and swelling; those of a systemic infection add chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and skin lesions with blisters.
The risk is significantly higher for individuals with pre-existing conditions. "A recent study showed that people with these prior medical conditions were 80 times more likely to develop bloodstream infections from Vibrio vulnificus than healthy individuals," notes the department on its official site.
Among the most vulnerable groups are those suffering from liver diseases, diabetes, cancer, HIV, or elevated levels of iron in the blood.
Florida is considered a critical point for this infection in the United States, where it is estimated that there are between 100 and 200 cases annually nationwide.
The warm waters of the state promote the proliferation of the bacteria, especially between May and October.
The alert of 2026 emerged early: by June, five cases were already reported before the summer peak, including one in St. Johns County where a 74-year-old patient had to undergo an amputation of a leg above the knee after briefly swimming in Gulf waters with an open wound.
The recent history of the state reflects a concerning trend.
In 2024, a historic record of 82 cases and 19 deaths was reached, a figure linked to the flooding caused by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The following year, the figure dropped to 33 cases and five deaths.
The data from 2026, with one confirmed death and eleven cases by mid-July, places the state in a season that health authorities are monitoring closely due to the possibility that numbers may rise during the hotter months.
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