Flesh-eating bacteria making headlines, but cases are ‘rare’
Touted prominently this summer is news and educational information about current Eastern coastal algae blooms and flesh-eating bacteria. Many beaches have been closed due to high risk of infection or death.
Ecowatch.com in June shared: “Vibrio vulnificus is an ‘opportunistic pathogen’ ... The bacteria thrive in warm salty and brackish waters and enter humans either through breaks in the skin or after being consumed with raw seafood. Up to one-third of people with vibrio vulnificus will die from the infection, which can cause a flesh-eating and commonly fatal bacteria known as necrotizing fasciitis.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists necrotizing fasciitis as rare, but also notes that 700 to 1,200 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States.
Those with immune-comp...