Flesh-eating bacteria causes panic in the US

• Flesh-eating bacteria sparks panic in the US.
• The dangerous Vibrio vulnificus could increase due to global warming.
• A new study predicts what could happen in the country.

A new study that sparked panic among the scientific community predicts an accelerated increase in infections by the dreaded flesh-eating bacteria that could cause serious damage in the coming years. According to scientists, there is an increase in cases and the main cause may surprise you.

The bacteria Vibrio Vulnificus causes infections when a wound becomes contaminated, especially if the wound was exposed to brackish water or salt water, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.

FLESH EATING BACTERIA SPARKS PANIC!

A recent study by scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the United Kingdom, which was published in the journal Nature, showed alarming figures. According to the data, infections from Vibrio Vulnificus, better known as the flesh-eating bacteria, may increase as the years go by.

The objective of this study is to make the health authorities and the public aware of the serious danger that is approaching in the coming years. According to the study, the bacteria has not stopped spreading since the 1980s and after 2018, a considerably dangerous increase was registered.

What is the flesh-eating bacteria?

As this study comes to light, one of the main things to understand is that the flesh-eating bacteria rarely occurs in the United States, which is why it goes unnoticed in most cases. The infection itself can cause a serious health threats and could affect people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.

«The Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria that rarely causes disease in the United States. People with compromised immune systems, especially those with chronic liver disease, are more likely to get vibriosis.» the CDC noted.

An accelerated increase?

The study pointed out that these infections multiplied eightfold from 1988 to 2018. Thirty years have passed since its first traces appeared in the eastern United States and one of the key factors was global warming.

“In the eastern US between 1988 and 2018, V. vulnificus wound infections increased eightfold (10–80 cases per year) and the northern case boundary moved north 48 km per year,” Nature reported, in response to the recently released study. They indicated that the increase will continue due to climate change.

What will happen in the US?

According to scientists from the University of East Anglia, the bacteria could spread very rapidly from 2041 to 2060, making it a latent concern for the scientific community. They pointed out that population growth could be one of the main triggers.

“By 2041–2060, infections from V. vulnificus can expand their current range to encompass major population centers around New York (40.7°N). Combined with a growing and aging population, the number of annual cases can double. By 2081–2100, infections from V. vulnificus may be present in every state in the eastern US,” they revealed.