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Miss. (WTVA) – Mississippi officials are reminding people to be on guard against a flesh-eating bacteria
The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) issued the reminder after people were hospitalized and five were killed in Louisiana by Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium found naturally in warm coastal waters
Louisiana’s Department of Health said that all nine cases involved open wounds being exposed to seawater, and all patients had underlying health conditions
RELATED – 5 dead, 4 hospitalized from flesh-eating bacteria outbreak, health officials say
While there have been a total of 29 Vibrio cases in Mississippi, only three were Vibrio vulnificus
The MSDH said most of the cases were near the coast, and that no deaths attributed to the infection have been reported
Since 2019, only seven people have been reported to have died to to a Vibrio infection
The department said the bacteria are most prevalent from May to October when the water is warmer and can also come from eating contaminated seafood, especially raw oysters
The MSDH said eating food with the bacteria can lead to diarrhea and abdominal pain. People with compromised immune systems, like those with chronic liver disease, are also likely to develop a bloodstream infection with fever and chills, blistering skin lesions and possibly death
The MSDH said anyone can become ill. However, those with liver disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV, or thalassemia, those receiving immune-suppressing therapy, those taking medicine to decrease stomach acid levels, or those who have had recent stomach surgery are more susceptible to complications
Health officials recommend that those who have wounds, even cuts and scrapes, cover those with a waterproof bandage if there is a chance it could come into contact with brackish or salt water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices
The MSDH recommends staying out of brackish or salt water if there is a wound, along with not eating raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish
Wounds should be washed with soap and water if they are exposed to those mentioned above
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 80,000 cases of vibriosis each year in the nation, and 52,000 of them come from eating contaminated food
The MSDH has more information available on Vibrio at msdh.ms.gov
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