[Nirvana-Guy]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

Be careful....
It's the time of year when people flock to the beach and it seems like everyone has a healthy respect -- if not, a fear -- of sharks.

But there's another danger lurking in Florida waters. Each year it kills more people in Gulf Coast states than sharks do around the world. It's a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus.

Vibrio vulnificus occurs naturally in warm salt water around the world. The bacteria can contaminate raw oysters and make you sick. It can also enter your system through a very small cut or scrape.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and local doctors, Vibrio can make healthy people sick, but those most at risk have some type of underlying health condition like liver disease, cancer or AIDS. And those are the people who should avoid raw oysters and use caution around salt water.

The water flesh-eating bacteria should be the least of your problems. The firm where I last worked in FL represented the mom who gave birth at a Florida Hospital and lost both arms and both legs to the flesh-eating bacteria.

That is some scary stuff and there is no telling when the flesh eating bacteria will resurface.... and who the next victim will be!! Yikes!

[crazypop101]

I had read somewhere that this bacteria is bad for asthmatics. Is this true?