The devastating and torrential rains from a tropical cyclone are bad enough. Excessive amounts of water created by a dangerous storm surge can level homes. The tremendous power of hurricane winds can likewise flatten a home.
Mother Nature’s fury is no better exemplified than by the eye of a hurricane. Hurricane Ian recently rocked Florida’s Gulf Coast. The damage was extensive. Residents on Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island were hit the hardest.
Most residents in Lee and Charlotte counties experienced some type of damage. But even after the pounding rains and gusting winds are but a memory, the residual side effects of Mother Nature’s wrath still exist. The massive “category four” storm took the lives of 119 people.
But the horror is not over. Florida’s residents, especially those in hard-hit Lee County, are battling yet another destructive force. One such, virtually invisible byproduct of this tropical cyclone, is a dangerous, flesh-eating bacteria. Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria that lives in oceans.
It’s a dangerous and potentially deadly bacteria that is occasionally discovered in seafood. Vibrio vulnificus kills more than half of immuno-compromised patients. These dangerous bacteria eat human beings from the inside out.
Contamination can come from food, such as eating contaminated fish and crustaceans. But, and this is the problem for Gulf Coast Floridians, Vibrio vulnificus lives in the salty water that surrounds the Sunshine State.
The symptoms Vibrio vulnificus poisoning include gastric pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and lesions on the skin. These lesions can fester into large blisters. Eventually, as the pockets dry up, they erode the flesh. If not checked, the bacteria can eat away entire limbs.
Anyone who suspects that they may have been infected by Vibrio vulnificus needs to seek immediate medical treatment. IV antibiotic therapy can stave off the extreme effects of the bacteria.
Hurricane Ian filled homes and water supplies with this bacteria-filled water. Florida’s residents must be vigilant in their efforts to stay clean and protected in areas that have not drained and dried completely. Drinking water systems are also highly susceptible.
People should exercise the utmost caution when drinking any water passing through potentially contaminated pipes. Floridians withstood a massive punch from Mother Nature. They have gotten up off the canvas.
Through the efforts of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the state is gradually returning to normal. They have a long way to go. But for everyone to realize a safe recovery from Hurricane Ian, extra vigilance must be used to avoid what is essentially “an invisible killer.”