卫生官员称，由于飓风伊恩的影响，佛罗里达州今年确认的食肉细菌病例有所增加。
佛罗里达卫生部门已经据报告的截至周五，今年已有65例确诊的食肉细菌创伤弧菌病例，11例死亡。
根据国家数据，相比之下，2021年报告的病例数为34例，死亡人数为10人，2020年为36例，死亡人数为7人。州数据显示，今年是佛罗里达州自2008年以来报告病例最多的一年。
9月28日，4级飓风伊恩在佛罗里达州西南海岸登陆后，沿海李县的病例激增，推动了这一增长。
州数据显示，李县今年迄今已报告29例确诊病例和4例死亡——去年报告了5例病例和1例死亡，2020年没有病例。
州卫生部门指出，该县罕见感染病例的“异常增加”是“由于飓风伊恩的影响”。
该部门表示，由于伊恩，附近的科利尔县也出现了非典型的病例增加，今年迄今为止报告了三例病例，而去年为零，2021年为一例。
本月早些时候，李郡的卫生官员警告居民，飓风伊恩过后有感染的风险。
“飓风后的洪水和死水带来许多风险，包括(导致)传染病的有机体，如创伤弧菌，”李郡卫生部门在一份报告中说10月3日通知。“因此，李县的佛罗里达州卫生部敦促公众采取预防措施，防止创伤弧菌引起的感染和疾病。”
李郡公共安全部上周表示，州卫生部门发现“随着人们清理家园和院子”，弧菌病例有所上升
“远离洪水和死水，”该机构在一份声明中说10月10日《脸书邮报》。“用防水绷带覆盖伤口。如果伤口和刀伤接触到水，一定要彻底清洗。”
Cars and debris from washed away homes line a canal in Fort Myers Beach, Fla., Oct. 5, 2022, one week after the passage of Hurricane Ian.
丽贝卡·布莱克威尔/美联社
弧菌细菌生活在温暖、含盐的海水中，例如河流与海洋交汇的地方，通常在温暖的月份生长得更快。人们可以受到感染如果他们有割伤或擦伤，然后走在沙滩上或进入水中。这种被称为坏死性筋膜炎的皮肤感染对免疫力低下的人来说尤其危险。
食用被污染的生蚝也有可能患上弧菌病。摄入后，这种细菌通常会导致胃痉挛、腹泻或恶心和呕吐
这疾病控制和预防中心估计美国每年有80，000人因这种细菌而患病。其中，大多数是由于食用了受污染的食物。
专家警告说，气候变化可能会导致创伤弧菌等水媒病原体在日益变暖的海水中快速繁殖。随着气候变化带来更强烈的飓风，迫使更多的盐水与淡水混合，这造成了大面积的半咸水区和弧菌可以繁殖的条件，专家告诉ABC新闻去年。
Florida seeing 'abnormal' increase in flesh-eating bacteria cases due to Hurricane Ian
Florida is seeing an increase in confirmed cases of flesh-eating bacteria this year due to the impact of Hurricane Ian, health officials said.
The Florida Health Department hasreported65 confirmed cases of Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria, and 11 deaths so far this year as of Friday.
That compares to 34 cases and 10 deaths reported in 2021, and 36 cases and seven deaths in 2020, according to state data. This year has seen the highest number of reported cases in Florida since 2008, state data shows.
The increase is driven by a surge in cases in coastal Lee County, which was devastated by Hurricane Ian after the Category 4 storm made landfall on Florida's southwestern coast on Sept. 28.
Lee County has reported 29 confirmed cases and four deaths so far this year -- after reporting five cases and one death last year and no cases in 2020 -- state data shows.
The "abnormal increase" in cases of the rare infection in the county is "due to the impact of Hurricane Ian," the state health department noted.
Nearby Collier County has also seen an atypical increase in cases due to Ian, the department said, with three cases reported so far this year compared to zero last year and one in 2021.
Health officials in Lee County warned residents earlier this month about the risk of infection in the wake of Hurricane Ian.
"Flood waters and standing waters following a hurricane pose many risks, including [organisms that cause] infectious diseases such as Vibrio vulnificus," the Lee County health department said in anOct. 3 notice. "For that reason, the Florida Department of Health in Lee County is urging the public to take precautions against infection and illness caused by Vibrio vulnificus."
Lee County Public Safety said last week that the state health department is seeing an uptick in Vibrio cases "as people clear homes and yards."
"Stay out of flood and standing water," the agency said in aFacebook post on Oct. 10. "Cover wounds with a waterproof bandage. Always wash wounds and cuts thoroughly if they touch the water."
Vibrio bacteria live in warm, brackish seawater -- such as where rivers meet the sea -- and typically grow faster during warmer months. People canbecome infectedif they have cuts or scrapes and then walk on the beach or enter the water. The skin infection -- known as necrotizing fasciitis -- can be especially dangerous for people who are immune compromised.
It is also possible to develop vibriosis by eating contaminated raw oysters. When ingested, the bacteria usually causes stomach cramping, diarrhea, or nausea and vomiting
TheCenters for Disease Control and Preventionestimates that 80,000 people get sick each year in the U.S. due to the bacteria. Among those, the majority are the result of eating contaminated food.
Experts warn that climate change may contribute to waterborne pathogens such as Vibrio vulnificus to thrive and multiply faster in increasingly warming waters. As climate change brings more strong hurricanes that forces more salt water to mix with fresh, it's creating large brackish areas and the conditions where the Vibrio can flourish,experts told ABC Newslast year.
