Florida officials warn of spike in potentially deadly skin infections after Hurricane Ian


Public health officials in Lee County, Florida, are warning of a spike in potentially deadly infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County on Sept. 28, and the storm surge and flooding led to the increase in infections, CBS News reports. Vibrio vulnificus is a species of bacteria that lives in warm, brackish seawater. People normally come in contact with it through raw or undercooked seafood, and it can also enter the body through cuts and other open wounds. Once the bacteria enters the bloodstream, it can cause sepsis.
The bacteria is also sometimes referred to as being "flesh-eating," CBS News says, because "primary infections of the skin can devolve quickly into necrotizing fasciitis," which is a rare condition where the body's tissue begins to break down. This often leads to amputation.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Health in Lee County told CBS News it is "observing an abnormal increase in cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections as a result of exposure to the flood waters and standing waters following Hurricane Ian," and residents should "always be aware of the potential risks associated when exposing open wounds, cuts, or scratches on the skin to warm, brackish, or salt water."
As of Friday, there have been at least 29 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections in Lee County this year, with all but two cases diagnosed after Hurricane Ian.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
The Biden cover-up: a 'near-treasonous' conspiracy
Talking Point Using 'Trumpian' tactics, the former president's inner circle maintained a conspiracy of silence around his cognitive and physical decline
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
A tick-borne illness is making its rounds in new parts of America
Under the radar Babesiosis, spread through blacklegged or deer tick bites, is a growing risk
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
Hantavirus: the rare pathogen linked to rodents that attacks the lungs
The Explainer Despite the low risk of contracting it, the virus could be potentially deadly
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
What does Health and Human Services do?
The Explainer Cuts will 'dramatically alter' public health in America