Florida is facing a surge of flesh-eating bacteria following the recent onslaught of consecutive hurricanes, leading to unprecedented levels of reported cases.
The warm floodwaters resulting from Hurricanes Helene and Milton create an ideal environment for various harmful bacteria that pose health risks to humans. Among these is Vibrio vulnificus, a type of flesh-eating bacteria that has tragically led to 13 fatalities across the state in 2024, as reported by Florida health officials.
This year, the state has reported 76 cases of Vibrio vulnificus, surpassing the 74 cases recorded in 2022 following Hurricane Ian and other significant storms that impacted the area.
The Florida Department of Health has advised residents to steer clear of floodwaters in light of the recent storms that impacted the west coast, cautioning that individuals with open wounds are especially vulnerable to bacteria such as Vibrio.
“Vibriobacteria, commonly found in warm coastal waters, can cause illness when ingested or when open wounds are exposed to contaminated water. After heavy rainfall and flooding, the concentration of these bacteria may rise, particularly in brackish and saltwater environments,” the department said as Milton was bearing down on the state.
Following Hurricane Helene’s September 26 landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4, the regions surrounding Tampa Bay experienced significant increases in Vibrio cases, marking the most substantial rise in the area’s history.
In September, only six cases of Vibrio were documented prior to the storms, but that number surged to 38 in the subsequent days and weeks, as indicated by health department statistics.
The county-by-county breakdown of infections is given as follows:
- Alachua County: 2
- Bay County: 1
- Brevard County: 5
- Broward County: 1
- Charlotte County: 4
- Citrus County: 3
- Clay County: 1
- Collier County: 1
- Duval County: 4
- Escambia County: 4
- Hernando County: 3
- Hillsborough: 8
- Lee County: 5
- Leon County: 1
- Okaloosa County: 1
- Palm Beach County: 2
- Pasco County: 4
- Pinellas County: 14
- Santa Rosa County: 2
- Sarasota County: 2
- Seminole County: 2
- Sumter County: 1
- Volusia County: 2
- Walton County: 2
Signs of an infection may manifest as diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fever, and vomiting. In cases involving the bloodstream, individuals might experience fever, chills, skin lesions that look like blisters, and critically low blood pressure.
Each year, the US sees approximately 200-250 reported cases of Vibrio, with a mortality rate of about 20% among those infected, as stated by the CDC.