Louisiana reports five deaths of the flesh -eaten bacteria in coastal waters | Louisiana
Five people in Louisiana died in 2025 from a flesh -eating bacteria found in the warm coastal waters, considerably exceeding the annual average for these deaths, state officials said.
Those who died of contracting Vibrio vulnificus from Wednesday were among at least 26 to be infected by the bacteria, each case resulting in hospitalization, according to the Louisiana Ministry of Health. Most of these cases – 85% – involved injuries exposed to sea water and 92% of infected had an underlying health, the health service said.
During the previous decade, Louisiana recorded an average of 10 vibrio infections and a single death, officials from the State Health Department said.
The highest numbers in Louisiana intervene after scientific researchers warned against the evidence that Vibrio infections become more common in the rise in temperatures on the surface of the sea associated with the climate crisis – which was mainly stimulated by the human emissions of greenhouse gases.
Vibrio bacteria flourish in hot coastal waters and proliferate between May and October. Infections can result from the exposure of a wound open to sea water or the consumption of seafood which is raw or subcuits.
About one in five people who contract Vibrio vulnificus in particular die – sometimes within two days of the feeling of infection. Those who survive such an infection require occasionally require amputation of members or intensive care.
The story of a man who grew up in New Orleans, and died after having contracted Vibrio vulnificus in July near Bay St Louis, Mississippi, alive the dangers of the bacteria in the region.
Basil Kennedy, 77, clearly contracted the bacteria after scraping the leg on a boat trailer, his daughter said at the Louisiana news station. Kennedy would have cleaned up and bandaged the injury, and he saved in the water, thinking nothing more. But in about three days, his health has decreased sharply and died, said his daughter.
Kay Kennedy Regimbal told the station “there is no need for fear of water” despite the death of her father – but she added that “there must really be an education and an understanding of how to prepare for a situation where you could be exposed or there is a potential risk”.
Symptoms of vibrio infection may include gastrointestinal diseases, unusually severe wound or – as associated with blood infection – fever, fellow and dangerously low blood pressure.
The United States generally reports approximately 150 to 200 cases of vibrio vulnificus per year. About half of these cases occur in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Louisiana officials said most of the cases and deaths were in their state and Florida.
