The shallow and warm waters found along the coasts may not remain places of paradise… A bacterium is developing there, under the effect of global warming, it is called Vibrio vulnificus and has peculiarity of eating human flesh. A recent study, published in the journal Scientific Reportsis worried about seeing it proliferate.
All it takes is an injury and contact with seawater contaminated with this bacterium to risk becoming infected: Vibrio vulnificus is known to nibble the skin and lead to serious damage, which can go as far as amputation and in one out of five cases, according to one of the authors of the study, cause death. This infection is also difficult to treat and very expensive, says NBC News.
The increase in water temperature allows it to migrate
Over the past 30 years, this type of infection has increased from 10 per year to 80 per year. The bacterium is now discovered in new regions: it migrates to the northern United States, according to this study, due to warming waters. The researchers use this example to remind us of the extent to which ecological changes have a direct impact on human health.
They expect to see infections multiply in the years to come, between 140 and 200. They also estimate that the entire East Coast could be affected, including New York. They insist on the importance of putting in place prevention messages aimed at the public so that people with a wound on their body do not go swimming in these waters.
Sources: Scientific Reports, NBC News.
