Flesh-Eating Bacteria in Gulf Coast Scares Locals and Tourists

A flesh-eating bacteria has infected the shores of the Gulf Coast at the peak of the summer vacation season From Texas to Florida, the water-borne bug has spooked locals and tourists. When the strain called a Vibrio vulnificus strikes, the victim is likely to lose a limb or die. There is no central authority tracking cases so no one holds current, comprehensive statistics for deaths and illnesses. Because states are not required to report cases to the Centers for Disease Control, people, including public officials, have started to cobble together their own ideas. Kim Farve, director of public works in Bay St Louis, Mississippi. says, "I grew up on the water, and I don’t remember it ever being a problem until after the [2010] BP oil spill.” Down the coast in Biloxi, Jocko Angle, who runs a Facebook page called Vibrio Along the Gulf Coast, where fearful residents go for information and victims commiserate, says “I think the oil in the water, combined with the chemicals they used, created the perfect environment for Vibrio to thrive." Following a battle with Vibrio three years ago, Angle's left leg is swollen to twice the size of his right.