A fourth Florida resident has died after being infected with Vibrio vulnificus, the potentially deadly flesh-eating bacteria often associated with eating raw or undercooked oysters, state health officials said.
The Florida Department of Health added the death to its updated Vibrio vulnificus fatality count on Thursday.
The victim was a Broward County resident between 75 and 79 years old, WSFA reported. Officials have not said exactly how the person became infected.
The state health department previously attributed deaths this year to residents in Bay, Palm Beach and Marion counties.
FILE — Florida health officials have cautioned that consuming raw or undercooked oysters can result in infection with Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacterium. (iStock)
“Most people get vibriosis by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters,” the Florida Department of Health said.
Florida has recorded 21 Vibrio vulnificus cases in 2026, according to the department’s website.
Over the past decade, 2022 and 2024 were among the region’s worst years for Vibrio vulnificus infections and deaths. Florida reported 82 cases and 19 deaths in 2024, compared with 74 cases and 17 deaths in 2022.
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Officials linked the unusually high totals to hurricane impacts in certain counties following Helene and Ian. Severe storms can leave standing water and cause flooding, conditions that may increase the risk of exposure to the bacteria, they said.
Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacterium found in warm, brackish seawater.
FILE — Vibrio vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal about 50% of the time, according to Florida health officials. (CDC.gov)
Exposure can occur when a person eats oysters contaminated with the bacteria or enters contaminated water with an open wound.
Health officials said bloodstream infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus are fatal about 50% of the time.
While healthy individuals typically develop a mild illness, Vibrio vulnificus infections can cause severe illness in people with weakened immune systems.
“A recent study showed that people with these pre-existing medical conditions were 80 times more likely to develop Vibrio vulnificus bloodstream infections than healthy people,” Florida health officials said.
FILE — In this aerial view, a person walks through floodwaters that inundated a neighborhood after Hurricane Milton came ashore on Oct. 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda, Florida. Flooding and standing water can increase the risk of exposure to Vibrio vulnificus, health officials said. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Severe infections can cause symptoms including fever, chills, decreased blood pressure, also known as septic shock, and blistering skin lesions. In some cases, wound infections can lead to tissue damage requiring amputation.
Elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, Louisiana has reported 15 cases and six deaths this year as of Sept. 9, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Fourteen of the cases were attributed to wound or seawater exposure.
The Texas Department of State Health Services says Texas typically sees an average of 33 cases per year.
Mississippi reported three cases as of August, according to the state’s health department.