Spike in cases of vibrio, a flesh-eating bacteria, after hurricanes

We’re tracking a spike of cases of vibrio, a flesh-eating bacteria, after hurricanes Helene and Milton.

This flesh-eating bacteria thrives in warm, brackish water and is transferred to people through open wounds.

The Department of Health website shows nine cases this year between Lee, Charlotte and Collier counties.

It breaks down to 4 in Charlotte, with one death reported, 4 in Lee, and one in Collier.

The state flagged all but the Collier case as being associated with the hurricanes.

This isn’t your garden variety bacteria. Vibrio lives up to the phrase “flesh-eating” because when it gets into your system, it destroys tissue by cutting off oxygen.

It can lead to sepsis and death. Health experts warned people to stay out of flood water, but now we’re learning the danger is even more widespread.

Back-to-back hurricanes carried storm surge and flood waters, bringing the potentially deadly flesh-eating bacteria into people’s homes and yards. A handful of Southwest Floridians were infected in the days and weeks following Helene and Milton.

“They may ignore anything that’s happened to them, physically, a cut or a wound, and then when they just get sicker and sicker, present to the emergency room,” said Dr. Mary Beth Saunders, medical director of infection prevention at Lee Health.

By the time they get there, the infection of the flesh-eating bacteria is likely ravaging their body.

“Some people need to go to surgery right away, and they need to actually take away that tissue that’s not healthy anymore, and it may involve several surgeries,” Saunders said.

It turns out the danger goes deeper than the water. Anything soaked with brackish stormwater can host the flesh-eating vibrio vunificus, making handling muck and still-wet items risky. Saunders has seen it firsthand.

“With Ian, we saw numerous cases, and generally, those were folks that were cleaning up brush and debris, and that they got cuts or scrapes from the brush or the debris, so once you have the water intrusion, the muck on everything, wherever it’s on those surfaces, the bacteria can live,” Saunders said.

The takeaway is to take time to cover exposed areas when you touch anything wet from the storm and carefully clean any cuts or sores.

Dr. Saunders said warning signs to look out for are any wound that has rapid redness, swelling or tenderness and expands out from the sore, especially if you see any blisters or get flu-like symptoms. Any of those call for quick medical attention.