Vibrio Vulnificus claims woman's life

And your annual refresher on vibrio safety

Recently, Natalie Clark and her boyfriend, Billy LeBlanc, contracted Vibrio Vulnificus from eating raw oysters.  LeBlanc, a Louisiana native, spent more than a week in the intensive care unit and Clark died.

Every year at about this time, I do my best to educate those who follow me about the dangers of Vibrio Vulnificus exposure, either by consuming raw seafood or via wound infection. 

Short on time? Here’s the key points:

• Don’t eat oysters raw, especially not in summer months/early fall;

• Avoid swimming in warm, brackish waters with cuts or open wounds, and;

• Expect vibrio to continue to migrate northward with climate change.

Globally, the various subtypes of Vibrio bacteria claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Cholera is one type of Vibrio and causes the most deaths annually of all Vibrio.

Vibrio infects about 80,000 people each…