Flesh-eating bacteria kills 5 in Louisiana: What is Vibrio vulnificus? What are the symptoms?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80,000 cases of vibriosis occur in the U.S. each year.

Louisiana health officials are urging residents to take precautions against a flesh-eating bacterial infection following the deaths of five people this year.

Health officials have urged caution around coastal waters and raw oysters amid deadly Vibrio vulnificus infections.

The number of reported infections this year is significantly higher than average

Six deaths reported among screwworm cases, one directly attributed to the flies.

Five deaths in Louisiana from Vibrio vulnificus mark a sharp rise, as all nine cases involved open wounds exposed to warm seawater this year.

As the summer season continues to bring people to the beach, the Louisiana Health Department warns to take precautions against a potentially fatal flesh-eating bacteria found in warm coastal waters. Officials confirmed nine cases this year and five deaths.

Five of nine Louisiana residents infected with flesh-eating bacteria died as a result of the infection this year, reflecting a steady increase in infection rate and severity.

Vibrio vulnificus thrives in warm coastal waters, and people can get sickened by it through raw shellfish or open wounds.