'Extraordinarily dangerous:' Rare flesh-eating bacteria kills 3 in New York, Connecticut

A rare flesh-eating bacteria has killed least three people in Connecticut and New York, officials confirmed Thursday.

The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which can be found in raw or undercooked seafood, saltwater, and brackish water, infected three Connecticut people between 60 and 80 years old, the state's Department of Public Health said in a news release late last month. Two of those patients have since died.

The virus was also detected in a person who died in Long Island, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in a news release Wednesday.

“While rare, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made it to this region and can be extraordinarily dangerous,” Hochul said in a statement.

“As we investigate further, it is critical that all New Yorkers stay vigilant and take responsible precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe," she added, "including protecting open wounds from seawater and for those with compromised immune systems, avoiding raw or undercooked shellfish which may carry the bacteria.”

Here's what we know about the three cases:

How the infections happened:

One of the Connecticut patients reported eating raw oysters from an out-of-state establishment, while the other two reported exposure to salt or brackish water in Long Island South.

Connecticut Department of Public Health spokesman Christopher Boyle said the two people were in two separate locations of the Connecticut waters of Long Island Sound.

Both patients had pre-existing, open cuts or wounds or sustained new wounds during these activities, which likely led to the infections, the news release said.

As for the New Yorker who died, it's still being determined whether the bacteria infected them in New York waters or elsewhere, the governor's news release said.

'Always in the water'

Vibrio vulnificus is "actually always in water," Manisha Juthani, the commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said during a news conference Monday.

"What happens in the summertime is that bacteria like this tend to overgrow, and if you have an open wound, you should never be getting into water because there are any number of bacteria that are in the water," she said.

The department also cautioned against eating raw oysters and avoiding salt or brackish water, particularly during the hottest months of summer.

Connecticut saw five cases of Vibrio vulnificus in 2020, but none in 2021 and 2022, health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said about one in five people infected with the bacteria die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill. Many people with the infection also require intensive care or limb amputations.

The bacteria sickens about 80,000 people and kills about 100 in the United States every year, the CDC says.

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How can I prevent getting infected with Vibrio vulnificus?

According to the CDC, you can reduce your chance of getting infected with the bacteria by following these tips:

• If you have a wound (including from a recent surgery, piercing, or tattoo), stay out of saltwater or brackish water, if possible. This includes wading at the beach.
• Cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if it could come into contact with salt water, brackish water, or raw or undercooked seafood and its juices. This contact can happen during everyday activities, such as swimming, fishing or walking on the beach. It could also happen when a hurricane or storm surge causes flooding.
• Wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water if the come into contact with salt water, brackish water, raw seafood or its juices.

What are signs and symptoms of a Vibrio vulnificus infection?

Some common signs and symptoms of infection can include:

• Watery diarrhea, often accompanied by stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever
• For bloodstream infection: fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions
• For wound infection, which may spread to the rest of the body: fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, and discharge (leaking fluids)

Other recent Vibrio vulnificus cases in the United States

A 54-year-old Missouri man died in June after he contracted the bacteria while eating raw oysters, according to NBC News.

Three North Carolina residents also died from the infection last month, according to The Virginian-Pilot. Two of the three deaths followed scratches exposed to brackish water.

The third case also had brackish water exposure and that person also consumed personally caught seafood, according to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.