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New York Issues Warning After 3 Die From Rare Flesh-Eating Bacteria

At least one in five who contract the bacteria are likely to die, the CDC said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of a rare but potentially fatal bacterial infection in the state. A person who recently died in Suffolk County tested positive for the deadly vibrio vulnificus bacteria, marking the third death in recent weeks in the area. On Tuesday, the state Department of Public Health confirmed that two Connecticut residents had died from infections linked to the bacteria, which is found in raw shellfish or caused after swimming in warm salt water. Both of the dead swam in two separate locations in Long Island Sound. A fourth was also hospitalized. “We are reminding providers to be on the lookout for cases of vibriosis, which is not often the first diagnosis that comes to mind,” New York state Health Commissioner James McDonald said in a statement. “We are also suggesting to New Yorkers that if you have wounds, you should avoid swimming in warm seawater. And, if you have a compromised immune system, you should also avoid handling or eating raw seafood that could also carry the bacteria.” According to the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection require intensive care or limb amputations, and about 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.”