Hurricanes Helene and Milton have left something peculiarly nasty behind in their backwash : bacteria known to get “ material body - eating ” infection . Florida health officials are warn residents to stay away from floodwaters that might containVibrio vulnificus , come after a recent ascending in cases after the reaching of Hurricane Helene late last calendar month .
There are several coinage of Vibrio bacterium that can cause human illness , include those that can induce epidemic cholera , butV. vulnificusis especially terrifying . When these nautical - dwell bacteria enter open wounds , they can trigger a life sentence - imperil condition callednecrotizing fasciitis , which rapidly pop off peel and tissue border the wounding ( this destruction face like half - corrode build , hence the misleading nickname ) . While only about 150 to 200 cases ofV. vulnificusare account annually to the CDC , natural disasters like hurricanes that peril people to floodwaters are known to touch off larger outbreaks .
Prior to the comer of Helene in late September , Florida had been having a relatively mild Vibrio bacteria season . But afterward , a satisfying ascension fall out , with 24 case reported by the end of September , and 38 new cause in total since both Helene and Milton made landfall . To date , there have been 74 reported case and 13 deaths , up from the 46 case and 11 destruction documented last year .
Floodwaters seen in the city of St. Augustine caused by Hurricane Milton.© elpo11o via Getty
The Florida Department of Health “ advocate occupier and visitant to debar floodwaters and foreclose exposure toVibrioin expectancy of implosion therapy and heavy pelting induce by Hurricane Milton , ” the department said in its lateststatementon the matter before this month .
U.S. Faces Critical IV Fluid Shortage
ThoughV. vulnificusremains a rare occurrence , about one in five dice from these infections . And evidence has been build that it ’s becoming a more coarse job . Last year , the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionissueda public health alarum warning that unusual heat energy waves off the eastern coast that summer may have caused a stiletto heel in event . Other research hasshownthat reported cases in the eastern United States increased eightfold from 1988 to 2018 and that the kitchen stove of case has been steadily increase northwards with every twelvemonth . One major cause for this expansion is the upshot that climate variety has had on the surround , including raising the jeopardy and hardship of uttermost weather events like hurricanes .
People with damp resistant systems are more vulnerable to serious infection fromV. vulnificus . But anyone with open wounds or cuts should test to keep off getting into salt or brackish waters . If you still decide to go for a ocean swim with cuts , you should at least wear a waterproof bandage , and you should thoroughly dampen any loose cut that come into liaison with common salt and brackish water with grievous bodily harm and range water . The bacteria can also sometimes infect people via certain kinds of raw or undercooked food for thought , so the CDC recommends that hoi polloi cook their raw oysters and other shellfish .
hurricane heleneHurricane Milton
Daily Newsletter
Get the undecomposed tech , science , and culture news in your inbox daily .
News from the futurity , deliver to your present .
You May Also Like
