.png)
A dangerous flesh-eating bacteria, which recently killed two more individuals in Connecticut and one in New York, has claimed five lives in the Tampa, Florida, area.
According to the Florida Department of Health, the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which can be found in raw or undercooked seafood, saltwater, and brackish water, has been responsible for the deaths of two persons in Hillsborough County, where Tampa is located, since January. Each of the nearby counties of Pasco, Polk, and Sarasota saw the death of another person. This year, there have been 26 incidents reported in Florida as a whole.
The bacteria was discovered in a person who died in Long Island, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and has caused several recent deaths in the Northeast.
Hochul said in a statement on Wednesday that although it is uncommon, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately reached this area and can be quite harmful. Health officials in New York are still investigating the Long Island victim's infection.
According to the state's Department of Public Health, the bacteria infected three persons in Connecticut in July who were between the ages of 60 and 80. Two of those patients subsequently passed away."