{"id":25275,"date":"2026-08-11T16:40:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:40:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/?p=881090"},"modified":"2026-08-11T16:40:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:40:59","slug":"officials-urge-gulf-coast-beachgoers-to-beware-of-deadly-bacterial-infections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/2026\/08\/11\/officials-urge-gulf-coast-beachgoers-to-beware-of-deadly-bacterial-infections\/","title":{"rendered":"Officials Urge Gulf Coast Beachgoers to Beware of Deadly Bacterial Infections"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/img\/social\/opengraph\/ij-social-default-1200x630.png\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<ul class=\"nav nav-tabs tabs tabs-entry\">\n<li class=\"active\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/southcentral\/2026\/08\/11\/881090.htm\">Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/southcentral\/2026\/08\/11\/881090.htm?comments\" rel=\"nofollow\">0 Comments<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"article-content clearfix\">\n<p>Health officials in Louisiana are urging beachgoers to take precautions during a summertime surge in infections from a <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/vibrio-vulnificus-flesh-eating-bacteria-ad470f8d062303510e1adaae22440b04\">flesh-eating bacteria<\/a> found in coastal waters.<\/p>\n<p>Louisiana has confirmed nine cases of Vibrio vulnificus infections this year, the state\u2019s health department said last week in a <a href=\"https:\/\/ldh.la.gov\/news\/vibrio-update-aug26\">news release<\/a>. All were hospitalized, and five died. During the same period over the previous decade, Louisiana reported an average of seven cases and one death.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bzn bzn-sized bzn-intext\">\n<ins data-revive-zoneid=\"79\" data-revive-block=\"1\" data-revive-id=\"36eb7c2bd3daa932a43cc2a8ffbed3a9\"><\/ins> <\/div>\n<p>\u201cSeek medical care immediately if a wound exposed to brackish or salt water becomes red, swollen, painful, warm or discolored,\u201d officials said in the release. \u201cTell the health care provider about the water exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">The Gulf is an ideal environment<\/h4>\n<p>Vibrio bacteria thrive in seawater and in the brackish mix of fresh and saltwater found in estuaries and lagoons. Most infections are reported from May to October, and most happen in states along the Gulf Coast. Doctors say the Gulf is an ideal environment with the right amounts of salt and heat to let this organism proliferate.<\/p>\n<p>The mostly deadly type is Vibrio vulnificus, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/ncezid\/\">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. As many as one in five of those infections are fatal, a much higher rate than other types of Vibrio bacteria.<\/p>\n<p>Florida, which tends to have more infections than other states, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.floridahealth.gov\/diseases-and-conditions\/disease\/vibrio-infections\/\">has reported<\/a> 14 Vibrio vulnificus cases and two deaths so far this year, compared with 33 cases and five deaths for all of last year. Records show more cases in years when Florida is hit by tropical storms and hurricanes.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Bacteria enters through breaks in the skin<\/h4>\n<p>Some people become infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish \u2014 particularly oysters. But a large percentage fall ill when the person is in ocean or brackish water and the bacteria enter the body through small breaks in the skin.<\/p>\n<p>Doctors say severe cases are seen more often in elderly patients, people with weakened immune systems, and those with liver disease, diabetes and certain chronic illnesses.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bzn bzn-sized bzn-intext-2\">\n<ins data-revive-zoneid=\"162\" data-revive-block=\"1\" data-revive-id=\"36eb7c2bd3daa932a43cc2a8ffbed3a9\"><\/ins> <\/div>\n<p>Scientists say climate change is helping the germs proliferate and spread northward. A 2023 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-023-28247-2\">study<\/a> found that the northernmost case has been shifting by about 30 miles each year, and that cases overall have been rising.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"mb-0 pb-2 ap-font-bold\">Beachgoers can protect themselves<\/h4>\n<p>Vibrio vulnificus can enter the body through unhealed cuts and scrapes, recent piercings and tattoos, and recent surgical incisions. People should immediately wash cuts and scrapes thoroughly with soap and clean running water after coming in contact with coastal waters or raw seafood, the CDC said. They should see a doctor if they start to develop symptoms such as fever, chills, and hot red areas on the skin that start to turn dark and blister.<\/p>\n<p>Oysters are a particular risk, and there is no way to tell if an oyster is contaminated just by looking at it. People should wash hands with soap and water after handing raw shellfish and wear protective gloves if they have a weakened immune system and are at a higher risk of infection.<\/p>\n<p>Health officials also offer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/vibrio\/prevention\/index.html#cdc_prevention_exposure-cook-seafood-before-eating-it\">cooking instructions<\/a> for clams, mussels and other shellfish. They recommend throwing away any with open shells before boiling or steaming.<\/p>\n<div class=\"copyright-notice lite\">Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll\" data-post=\"881090\">\n<div class=\"article-poll-vote\">\n<p>Was this article valuable?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll-feedback voted-no\">\n<form class=\"feedback-form\">\n<p>Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article.<\/p>\n<p> <textarea placeholder=\"Enter your feedback...\"><\/textarea> <button type=\"submit\" class=\"submit\" disabled>Submit<\/button> <button class=\"cancel\">No Thanks<\/button> <\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll-feedback voted-yes\">\n<form class=\"feedback-form\">\n<p>Thank you! <span class=\"percent\"><\/span>% of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it.<\/p>\n<p> <textarea placeholder=\"Enter your feedback...\"><\/textarea> <button type=\"submit\" class=\"submit\" disabled>Submit<\/button> <button class=\"cancel\">No Thanks<\/button> <\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll-more-articles\">\n<p class=\"thank-you-text\">Here are more articles you may enjoy.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"subscribe-banner subscribe-banner-in-content-2\">\n<div class=\"content\">\n<h4>The most important insurance news,in your inbox every business day.<\/h4>\n<p>Get the insurance industry&#8217;s trusted newsletter<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Article 0 Comments Health officials in Louisiana are urging beachgoers to take precautions during a summertime surge in infections from a flesh-eating bacteria found in coastal waters. Louisiana has confirmed nine cases of Vibrio&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[2205,1,77],"class_list":["post-25275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bacterial-infections","tag-news","tag-texas-south-central-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/officials-urge-gulf-coast-beachgoers-to-beware-of-deadly-bacterial-infections.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25275"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25275\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}