The Louisiana Department of Health is warning you of a growing presence of Vibrio vulnificus. It’s a bacteria that naturally lives in coastal waters; it does not live in freshwater. The bacteria can cause illness or death through contact with an open wound or through consumption of raw seafood, especially oysters. State epidemiologist Teresa Sokol says the danger becomes greater when the water gets warm.
“When we see really warm water temperatures, we know that Vibrio is going to be present and may really be present in higher numbers because it likes to grow in those temperatures,” Sokol explained.
So far this year, 17 people have been hospitalized after becoming infected with Vibrio, and four of them have died. Sokol says if you start experiencing symptoms, time is of the essence – contact your doctor or get to an emergency room.
“You can start to develop symptoms in as short as 12 hours after you’ve been exposed. And then the time between when you’re symptoms start and when you could potentially die, it could be as short as one to two days,” Sokol said.
Signs and symptoms of Vibrio gastrointestinal infection include: Watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills.
Signs and symptoms of Vibrio wound infection include: Fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration and discharge.
Signs and symptoms of Vibrio bloodstream infection include: Fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure and blistering skin lesions.
Sokol says if you’re at risk of Vibrio infection, you’ll want to take extra precautions.
“If you have a wound, that’s when you really need to try to stay out of the salt or brackish water. Or, if you can’t, cover your wound with a waterproof bandage,” Sokol advised.
