Dallas (WBAP/KLIF) – Headed to the beach? Have a good time, but take some precautions. The reason…a flesh-eating bacteria, called “Vibrio” is lurking in the waters off the coast of Texas and Louisiana.
It’s nothing new; Vibrio makes its reappearance in the warm months along the Gulf Coast every year. It lurks in the muddy or sandy bottoms along the coast and in brackish estuaries. There have been 27 cases of Vibrio infection reported in the state in 2016.
“So far this year, the majority of those cases are from contaminated seafood,” said Christine Mann with the Texas Department of State Health. “About 40% are from exposing a wound to seawater where Vibrio is present.”
If you get it through eating, it’s like any other stomach bacteria; it causes stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. The best way to avoid that is to not eat raw or uncooked seafood.
But if it gets in through an open wound, it causes the flesh to start dying. It’s treatable with antibiotics, so if you start noticing redness and swelling around a wound, see your doctor ASAP, because it works quickly.
Mann advises you to not go in the water at all if you have any kind of open wound…even one that has a scab on it. If you do plan on wading in or doing some flats fishing, wear shoes to minimize the risk of stepping on something that could cut your feet.
Copyright 2016, all rights reserved
