Page 13 - IAV Digital Magazine #578

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Texas Man Dies From Flesh-Eating Bacteria After Consuming Raw Oysters At Galveston Restaurant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkjpKXDqKLI
By Sandra Rose Salathe
A man is dead after contracting a bacterial infection from consuming raw oysters at a local restaurant in Galveston, Texas, public health offi-
cials confirmed.
The unnamed man, believed to be in his 30s to 40s, fell ill after consuming raw oysters at a restaurant on August
29, according to
Local Health Authority Dr. Philip Keiser. He was admitted to the hospital on September 1 and died three days later.
Officials have attributed his
death to Vibrio vulnificus, a bac- teria prevalent in warm, coastal waters, which can infect individuals when they con- sume raw or undercooked shellfish, notably oysters. Additionally, infec- tion can occur through contact with an open wound.
Keiser noted that the individual had a pre-existing liver condition and was undergoing immunosuppres- sive drug treat- ment.
On September 1st, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Advisory through the Public Health Alert Network
(HAN) to alert the public, laborato- ries, and public health depart- ments about recent instances of fatal infections, encompassing both wound and foodborne infec- tions.
“Vibrio vulnificus, it’s name is actu- ally fraught with meaning because the vulnificus means it’s like a volcano and it refers to the fact that these infec- tions once they take hold can spread extremely rapidly like wild- fire,” Keiser said in an interview with KTRK.
Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus can include diar- rhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever,
chills, as well as skin-related symptoms like cellulitis (a painful, red rash on the skin) and blistering lesions.
“Now, in a healthy person we can treat that fairly easily but we have to have what is called a high index of sus- picion meaning you gotta think about it,” Keiser said. “And so, for doctors, if you see someone who’s been in the water and they have a rash that is spreading very very fast, almost where they have blisters, you need to think about Vibrio vulnificus and you need to use the appropri- ate treatment for it.”
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine