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‘Flesh-Eating Bacteria’ Linked To Summer Heat Waves | Weather.com
The CDC has linked summer heat waves to an increase in cases along the Atlantic Coast of a rare type of infection commonly referred to as “flesh-eating bacteria.” An analysis published on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control And Prevention’s website highlights 11 severe cases of Vibrio vulnificus in New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina, occurring in July and August during a summer with record-breaking air and ocean temperatures for some parts of the U.S.
The report is the latest in a long list of data and studies linking deadly vibrio infections to weather. “The bacteria thrives in warm, brackish water,” weather.com meteorologist Kait Parker said. “As the global temperature increases, more low-salinity waterways become a hospitable environment, even in traditionally cooler climates.”
### What Is ‘Flesh-Eating Bacteria?’
V. vulnificus can make people sick if they consume raw or undercooked shellfish such as oysters. However, the bacteria is particularly dangerous when it comes into contact with exposed wounds, including small cuts or insect bites. This can occur in coastal waters, on shorelines, or when handling contaminated shellfish. This type of infection can cause necrotizing fasciitis, which destroys skin and can lead to severe illness that may require limb amputations and intensive care. In about 25% of cases, the infection is fatal. People with certain underlying health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and liver disease are at higher risk.
### What The CDC Report Found
Of the 11 cases noted by the CDC analysis, seven were in North Carolina, two were in Connecticut, and two were in New York. Five people died, while the outcome of one patient was unknown. “A notable feature of these cases, beyond their severe clinical outcomes, is that they occurred in the wake of record-breaking U.S. heat waves,” the report says.
Seven of the cases involved contact with ocean or estuary water along the Atlantic Coast. Typically, deadly V. vulnificus infections happen more often in Gulf Coast states, particularly Florida and Texas, but that’s changing. “Research tells us Vibrio vulnificus is spreading farther north due to climate change,” Parker said.
### Past Vibrio Spikes Blamed On Hurricanes
The CDC issued a health alert in September, warning that unusually warm water and extreme weather events could fuel an increase in cases. We’ve seen that play out during specific weather events. An outbreak of V. Vulnificus in Florida in 2022, for example, was directly connected to storm surge and flooding from Hurricane Ian. Seventy-four cases and 17 deaths were reported in the state, by far the highest numbers in records going back to 2008. Thirty-one of the cases and eight of the deaths happened in areas where Ian came ashore in Southwest Florida. There were also spikes in cases after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Katrina in 2005.
Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives.
