Many residents in Tampa Bay are cleaning up from Hurricane Milton and Helene, and people will need to watch out for severe, potentially fatal bacteria lurking in floodwater. The bacterium, called Vibrio Vulnificus, is prevalent in warm and salty water.
It pops up in the Gulf in the summer, and coincides with hurricane season. Public information officer with the Florida Department of Health Tom Iovino said it brings heavy risk.
“It’s an infection, so you see the typical redness, swelling, discharge, but then it could become ulcerated and it can become very dangerous after that,” Iovino said.
There have been a record 13 cases in Pinellas County just this year, according to the Florida Department of Health website.
“If we see storm surge, and you’re in an area that you’re actually doing storm cleanup, what happens is you can get a cut, you can get a scrape, you can get a laceration, a puncture. And what happens is people think ‘okay I don’t have to worry about that’ but what you should do at that point is stop and wash that area well with soap and clean water.” Iovino said.
Iovino also encourages people to check the status of their tetanus shots.
