Friday, August 29, 2025
Two people are dead after they contracted a flesh-eating bacterium eating raw oysters in Louisiana. The deaths were due to Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium that is naturally occurring in warm coastal waters and more common between May and October. Vibrio bacteria can lead to illness when an open wound is exposed to coastal waters or when a person eats raw or undercooked seafood. In addition to the two oyster-related deaths, two other people with the bacteria have died this year in Louisiana. "Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection can become seriously ill and need intensive care or limb amputation," the health department said. "About one in five people with this infection dies, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill."
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Louisiana has experienced a higher number of Vibrio vulnificus cases and deaths in 2025. So far this year, 22 cases that led to hospitalizations have been reported among Louisiana residents. More than 80% of the reported cases stemmed from exposure of open wounds to seawater. "During the same time period over the previous ten years, an average of seven Vibrio vulnificus cases and one death have been reported each year in Louisiana," the department said. Florida reported 23 cases of Vibrio vulnificus this year, resulting in five deaths. Louisiana ranks at the bottom for providing healthcare to its residents according to several websites. With cuts to federal food surveillance and healthcare, along with global warming and the polluted waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf residents can expect more deaths and illnesses from pathogens. Below, the growing "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico.
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