
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Surge Along Gulf Coast Amid Rising Ocean Temperatures
Two deaths in Bay County, Florida, in 2025 are linked to vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that can cause severe infections like necrotizing fasciitis, often mistaken as 'flesh-eating.' The bacteria thrive in warm seawater and are contracted mainly through contaminated seafood or water exposure, with five deaths reported across Florida this year amid 16 cases.





