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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 has reported 65 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.
