Lifetime boat captain George Biliris says that he is lucky that he is alive Vibrio vulicusThe so -called “meat -eating” bacteria that were lurked into hot coastal water like those along the Gulf coast of Florida, killed him.
The third generation sponge fisherman told CBS News, “I started getting cold, fever, swelling, burning.”
In July 2019, while fishing with his grandson was going into water when he signed bacteria, which joined his system through a cut in his back leg. It was “just a little short scab,” said Biliris.
At the hospital, doctors used a marker on their legs to track the spread of bacteria. After three weeks of treatment, the infection decreased, protecting your leg from dissection.
According to disease control and prevention centers, One in five people who contract bacteria die After the rapid spread of infection.
during Hurricane seasonA microbiologist at South Florida University, Dr. According to Valerie Harwood, the risk of contracting Vibrio Vulnicus increases. Research also shows Ocean water temperature is rising Due to climate change, which leads to more frequent and severe storms.
Harwood said that because bacteria thrive in hot water, it means that more infections in areas are seen in places that have not experienced them because the water temperature in those areas increases.
“With warming water, we are looking at the cases in the north,” Harwood said.
In recent years, cases have been reported in Carolinas, and even northwards as connecticuts and New York. This year, 17 cases have come in Louisiana, 16 in Florida and seven in North Carolina. Florida has so far reported five deaths, which is the highest in any state.
Bacteria can also spread through non -cooked seafood, mainly oyster.
These days, Biliris says that he is more alert in water, but he still leaves his family’s boat almost every day. They hope that other people will recognize the symptoms of infection, as earlier treatment may mean the difference between life and death.
“Many people were waiting because they didn’t know,” he said.
