High Levels of Flesh Eating Bacteria Found at Florida Beaches
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There are things to avoid in the good old USA, like Sarah Palin and Ken Ham, but flesh-eating bacteria? Florida state officials have warned that high levels of flesh-eating Vibrio bacteria have been detected in its waters, Gawker finds.
The naturally occurring bacteria, which thrives in warm salt water, causes around 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the US yearly and killed at least 11 people in Florida last year, according to Florida Today. Health officials say the bacteria is especially dangerous to people with weak immune systems and is fatal around 50% of the time when it gets into people’s bloodstreams.
A Florida health official tells theBroward-Palm Beach New Times:
“A person can contract the virus by eating tainted raw shellfish and oysters, and people who swim in seawater who have open wounds are also vulnerable to the bacteria.”
Symptoms of infection include fever, chills, and skin lesions notes the New Times notes, explaining that while many people have probably already swum in bacteria-infested waters and been fine, people with weak immune systems should probably steer clear of Florida waters for now. Researchers say that illnesses caused by Vibrio bacteria are set to rise as the oceans get warmer.
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Very good points, but I planned on skipping Florida anyway:
TOO HOT!
Think the water is cleaner on New Jersey beaches? Really, bloggers like Kos are making a big fuss using this to bolster ideas about libertarianism in Florida claiming that beaches aren’t monitored for bacteria. Another example of concocting stories from selected observations. We have 2,276 Statute Miles of shoreline. How many water samples would you have us take every day?
Local papers have beach bacteria reports almost every day in populated areas and with millions and millions of people on them combined with tropical water temperatures close to 90 degrees what do you expect?
Making a case for Florida being a dangerous place out of this is just ridiculous.
Could we start a crowd-funding project to give Sarah and Ken a Florida vacation? Or would that be unfair to the Vibrio?
I’m afraid that would indeed be unfair to Vibrio James 🙂
So which is worse? Sarah Palin or flesh eating bacteria? Hm. I’ll have to think on that one.
Hmmm…
On an individual basis, flesh eating bacteria is definitely worse.
On a global or countrywide basis, there is little doubt that Sarah Palin is hard to beat in terms of evil.
Just my opinion
Meanwhile, I’m staying out of Florida :-)!
I actually love Florida Marsha, although it takes some getting used to. As to the bacteria I wouldn’t let it stop me from swimming or wading. Something is going to get us all sooner or later.