Florida health officials have reported the year’s third death related to Vibrio vulnificus, the so-called flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters.
On Thursday, the state Department of Health website listed a Vibrio death in Bay County in The Panhandle.
No other specifics were available, but the department’s reportable disease database shows two cases in Bay County this year: one in July involving a person 35 to 39 years old, and one in August with the patient 50 to 59 years old.
The latter was one of two cases statewide added during the week of Aug. 8-15, bringing the total to 17 this year.
The state’s first death this year from Vibrio was reported in June and involved a Palm Beach County resident who was 80 to 84 years old. The second was in July involving a patient over 60.
Vibrio cases this year have been reported from 12 counties: Bay, Lee, Marion, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach each had two, with Brevard, Broward, Hillsborough, Okaloosa, Polk, Santa Rosa and St. Johns showing one.
In 2025, Florida reported 33 cases and five deaths related to Vibrio.
Vibrio bacteria thrive in seawater and in the brackish mix of fresh and saltwater found in estuaries and lagoons.
Vibrio vulnificus can enter the body through unhealed cuts and scrapes, recent piercings and tattoos, and recent surgical incisions.
People should immediately wash cuts and scrapes thoroughly with soap and clean running water after encountering coastal waters or raw seafood, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
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Most infections are reported from May to October, and most happen in states along the Gulf Coast. Doctors say the Gulf is an ideal environment with the right amounts of salt and heat to let this organism proliferate.
Symptoms include fever, chills and hot red areas on the skin that turn dark and blister.
Oysters are a particular risk, and there is no way to tell if an oyster is contaminated just by looking at it.
People should wash hands with soap and water after handling raw shellfish and wear protective gloves if they have a weakened immune system and are at a higher risk of infection.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
