Five Connecticut residents were hospitalized with meat-eating bacteria after drowning in Long Island Sound this summer, Connecticut health officials said.
State health officials issued a warning on Saturday – one from July and four from August – warning residents of the coast of Vibrio vulnificus infection.
“The identification of these five cases in two months is very relevant,” Matthew Carter, a state epidemiologist at the Department of Public Health, said in a statement.
No deaths were reported, according to the Connecticut Public Health Department.
Between 49 and 85 years old, all five patients had injuries or were injured while swimming, crabbing or boating before becoming infected. Two patients had bloodstream infections, and three had severe wound infections.
“This suggests that Vibrio bacteria may be present in or near salt or rough water in Long Island Sound, and people should be careful,” Carter said.
In Connecticut, there have been seven more cases since 2010.
One in five people die from this infection, which is the biggest risk for people with weakened immune systems and the elderly.
The Department of Public Health recommends that if someone has an open wound or incision, it includes recent surgery, piercings or tattoos. Alternatively, wash the cut with soap and water and cover it with a waterproof bandage before swimming.
According to the CDC, some of these types of infections can lead to necrotizing fasciitis – an infection that causes 24-year-old Amy Copeland to lose her legs, feet and arms after cutting her leg at the zip line while swimming on Creek. . A Brooklynite told us in 2010 that he was infected from a trash can in Prospect Park. The CDC says necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than one bacterium.
