Overview

• Louisiana has logged 20 hospitalized Vibrio vulnificus infections this year with four deaths, more than twice the usual case count for this point in the season, according to the state health department.
• Florida reports 17 cases and five deaths so far in 2025, below last year’s pace, with officials noting case numbers tend to rise in storm-heavy years.
• Health alerts have reached New England after a reported Cape Cod infection, and researchers have documented a northward shift in cases by roughly 30 miles per year.
• Vibrio vulnificus causes severe illness with about a 20% fatality rate, with older adults and people with liver disease, diabetes or weakened immune systems at higher risk, per the CDC.
• Infections occur from eating raw or undercooked shellfish or through breaks in the skin exposed to salt or brackish water, and officials urge avoiding raw oysters, protecting wounds, washing cuts promptly and seeking rapid care; some cases require aggressive surgery.