Recently, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a national health alert to warn doctors and clinicians to be on the lookout for people infected with the flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus.
About Vibrio vulnificus
It is a type of bacteria that can cause a fatal infection.
This infection can happen when a wound comes into contact with raw or undercooked seafood, its juices, or its drippings or salt water.
It eats away at the skin, muscles, nerves, fat and blood vessels around an infected wound.
In severe cases, it can lead to septicemia, which is when the bacteria enter the bloodstream.
It results in a septic shock, where blood pressure drops dangerously.
Signs and symptoms include:
Watery diarrhoea is 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: Fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discolouration, and discharge (leaking fluids).
The only method available to avoid getting infected with the bacteria is to avoid coming in contact with it.
It is advised to make sure any seafood you consume is well-cooked, avoid raw or undercooked oysters and clean your hands after handling any kind of seafood.
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