Florida has confirmed a second death of the year related to Vibrio vulnificus, a dangerous bacterium commonly referred to as “flesh-eating.”
The new death was recorded in Marion County, in the central part of the state, while the first fatality corresponds to Palm Beach County.
The Florida Department of Health raised the state total to 14 confirmed cases and two deaths, according to data updated last Thursday.
Regarding these cases, FOX 35 Orlando specified that authorities have not disclosed how the deceased were infected or if they had any underlying health conditions.
Marion and Palm Beach each have two cases and one death per county. The remaining infections are spread across Bay, Brevard, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa, Polk, and St. Johns.
The first reported fatality of the year occurred in July and involved a resident of Palm Beach aged between 80 and 84 years.
Florida recorded 11 infections when the first death of the year was confirmed. The number later increased to 14 cases, including the second death, according to the latest official update.
Vibrio vulnificus naturally inhabits warm, salty, and brackish coastal waters. A person can become infected when an open wound, cut, scratch, recent tattoo, piercing, or surgical incision comes into contact with contaminated water.
Another common route of infection is the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters.
The bacteria is not transmitted from one person to another, but it can cause severe infections that progress rapidly, destroying the tissue around a wound and, in some cases, necessitating amputations.
Symptoms may include fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, redness, swelling, changes in color, and blisters on the skin.
If the bacteria enter the bloodstream, they can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure and potentially fatal septic shock.
People with weakened immune systems, particularly those suffering from chronic liver diseases, face a higher risk of complications.
Authorities recommend avoiding the consumption of raw oysters, thoroughly cooking seafood, and not entering coastal waters with open wounds.
Florida had issued a warning about the early emergence of infections in June, prior to the hottest part of summer.
The state ended 2025 with 33 cases and five deaths, while in 2024 it recorded 82 infections and 19 fatalities.
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