Overview

• Authorities confirmed a 68-year-old man died after contracting Vibrio bacteria while bathing, marking the first fatal infection of the 2025 season in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
• The first lab detections of Vibrio in Baltic waters occurred in late July this year, a month later than the June findings recorded in 2024.
• The Landesamt für Gesundheit und Soziales warned that elevated Vibrio levels will persist through the end of the bathing season and urged at-risk groups to steer clear of seawater.
• Vibrio bacteria proliferate at temperatures around 20 °C and can cause rapidly advancing wound infections and sepsis, especially dangerous for older individuals and those with chronic illnesses.
• Experts point to the Baltic Sea’s brackish salinity and rising summer temperatures as key drivers of Vibrio growth, prompting calls for strengthened monitoring under Germany’s mandatory reporting framework.