Hillsborough County health officials have issued a warning about a potentially deadly virus that can be contracted from eating raw or undercooked oysters or swimming in local waters with open wounds.
According to the Hillsborough County Health Department, two Hillsborough residents have died this year from Vibrio vulnificus infections and five other cases of Vibrio have been reported in the county.
The microscopic bacterial organism Vibrio vulnificus occurs naturally in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It is especially common during the summer months when water temperatures are warmer.
Infections are most often due to consumption of raw oysters and other undercooked raw shellfish. They can also result from exposure of open wounds or sores to seawater.
Depending on the type of exposure Vibrio bacteria can cause several types of illnesses ranging form wound infections to serious gastrointestinal disease.
Overall death rates from Vibrio vulnificus infections exceed 40 percent, and for certain high-risk people, the fatality rate increases dramatically, officials said.
More information about Vibrio vulnificus can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/vibriov/.