Americans being infected with the deadly flesh-eating bacteria has doubled due to climate change, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows.
Due to its ability to multiply in high temperatures, Vibrio vulnificus is infecting twice as many people on the East Coast as it did in 2022.
Alarming Cases
Michael Hughes, the CDC's expert on waterborne illnesses, headed the team that reviewed data from three states: North Carolina, Connecticut, and New York.
It examined the eleven cases that were reported in July and August of last year in North Carolina, New York, and Connecticut.
For comparison, only five infections were reported at the same time in 2022, with none occurring in Connecticut or New York.
Six infections occurred in North Carolina and three in New York during this same time last year.
Nine of the patients registered in July and August passed away due to the illness.
According to the study, one of the infected individuals was as young as 37 years old, while the average age of the patients was 70.
Everybody except for one had at least one underlying medical issue; the most common ones were diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and a history of alcoholism, which affected three people.
Additionally, it was noted that two patients had hematologic diseases, or problems with the organs or blood itself.
It was revealed that six of the patients contracted the infection after swimming in warm coastal waters.
However, the illness was connected to a cut sustained on the hand while preparing raw fish for ingestion in at least two of the instances.
Rise In Water Temperature
According to scientists, the progressive rise in water temperatures in the US as a result of climate change is the reason behind its increased prevalence.
Within twenty-four hours, the horrifying insect starts consuming human flesh after penetrating the body through cuts and scrapes.
Necrosis, or tissue death, and the fatal blood infection septicemia can result from the illness if care is not received.
Experts have earlier warned that rising temperatures in coastal water are expected to cause Vibrio vulnificus infections to become more common.
Florida's surface water temperature hit a record-breaking 101 degrees Fahrenheit last year.
The CDC report offered guidance to Americans on how to avoid getting sick.
"Persons can take steps to prevent illness by avoiding wound contact with brackish water, salt water and raw seafood and by thoroughly cooking oysters and other seafood before eating," the agency said.
Raw seafood, such as oysters, can become contaminated with bacteria since they are filter feeders, sucking water for nourishment. Once eaten by patients, the bacteria in the shellfish can cause illness.
Doctors caution that swimming in open water without protection can result in an infection from any open wound, even one as minor as a paper cut.
Redness and swelling surrounding the place where germs entered the body are early warning symptoms of infection.
Doctors advise that antibiotics must be delivered quickly to treat the infection.
Healthy individuals are at low risk, according to physicians, because their immune systems are robust enough to fight off microorganisms. However, those with underlying illnesses, such as obesity and old age, or who are using immune-suppressing drugs, may be at a higher risk.
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