Florida health officials are reporting an increase in cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that can lead to flesh-eating infections, following recent hurricanes.

 In an update Friday, data from the Florida Department of Health showed several counties are experiencing a spike in cases. The department said on its website that Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota Counties have experienced an “unusual increase due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene.”

A total of 74 cases have been reported this year in the state, including 13 deaths. That’s compared to 46 cases and 11 deaths reported last year. 

The health department warned residents ahead of Hurricane Milton to take precautions to prevent Vibrio infections, including avoiding floodwaters, which pose multiple health risks.  

“Vibrio bacteria, commonly found in warm coastal waters, can cause illness when ingested or when open wounds are exposed to contaminated water,” the department wrote in an advisory earlier this month. “After heavy rainfall and flooding, the concentration of these bacteria may rise, particularly in brackish and saltwater environments.”

About 100 cases of Vibrio are reported in the United States each year, but because people with mild infections aren’t tested, the actual number isn’t known, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. About a third of reported cases are fatal.

Some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizing fasciitis, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes as “a severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies.”

This kind of infection is often described as “flesh-eating bacteria,” though the CDC’s website notes necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by more than one type of bacteria.

Vibrio vulnificus symptoms

According to the CDC, symptoms may differ depending on the type of infection, but can include diarrhea, which is often accompanied by cramps, nausea, vomiting and fever.

For bloodstream infections, signs include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Low blood pressure
• Blistering skin lesions

For wound infections, which may spread to the rest of the body, signs include: 

• Fever
• Redness
• Pain
• Swelling
• Warmth
• Discoloration
• Discharge or leaking fluids

An infection is diagnosed when Vibrio bacteria is found in the wound, blood or stool of a person, the CDC says. These infections can be treated with antibiotics, but in severe cases, “Doctors may need to amputate a patient’s legs or arms to remove dead or infected tissue,” the CDC notes on its website.