A Fourth Florida Person Has Died From Flesh-Eating Bacteria This Year

Florida has now recorded four deaths from Vibrio vulnificus in 2026. Twenty people in the state have been confirmed infected. The season runs through October. It's not over.

The most recent death was in Broward County. Earlier deaths occurred in Palm Beach County and two other Florida locations, Marion and Bay counties. Louisiana has had its own separate wave of deaths this year — with 15 cases and 6 deaths confirmed as of early September — some linked to contaminated Gulf oysters that ended up on restaurant plates as far away as Florida.

The message from health officials in both states is the same: if you have liver disease, a weakened immune system, or an open wound anywhere on your body, stay out of warm coastal water and away from raw shellfish.

The Two Ways It Gets You

Vibrio vulnificus lives naturally in warm brackish water — bays, estuaries, the shallow Gulf areas where rivers meet the sea. Oysters filter massive amounts of that water. Whatever's in the water ends up in the oyster. Eat it raw and you're eating it too.