You can read: India bids for the 2030 Games as a test for the 2036 Olympics
Flesh-eating bacteria infections in Louisiana (USA) surge, leaving 6 dead
Miami.- At least six people have died and 34 have been infected so far this year in the state of Louisiana (United States) due to the “flesh-eating” bacteria, figures that already far exceed the annual average of the last ten years of seven infections and one death.
The two most recent deaths occurred after the consumption of oysters contaminated with the bacteria (‘Vibrio vulnificus’), bringing the number of fatalities this year to six, according to state authorities.
Cases have recently surged in Louisiana, whose Department of Health recently issued a statement “urging residents to take precautions to prevent infection.”
Since 2015, one death and seven infections have usually been recorded on average each year. In 2025 alone, the number of fatalities has multiplied by six and the number of infections by almost five compared to the annual average.
The ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria thrives in brackish coastal waters and can be transmitted both by eating raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters, and by contact with open wounds while swimming in the sea, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted.
Experts warn that, although in most cases the infection causes diarrhea and vomiting, in others it can lead to serious complications, such as blood infection (septicemia) or death of tissue around the wound (tissue necrosis), and even require amputations. One in five infected people die, according to the CDC.
The oysters linked to the latest deaths were harvested in Louisiana and served in local and Florida restaurants, authorities said, and according to the CDC, it cannot be known whether they contain the ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria or another dangerous germ at a glance.
Most Read
