Experts Warn Flesh-Eating Bacteria Is Rising at Beaches—How to Stay Safe

Shark sightings are up this year; however, there’s another threat lurking in our oceans’ deep blue waters. This summer, public health departments across the country are reporting high numbers of vibrio vulnificus at public beaches and tourist hot spots, including Santa Monica Pier. Many beaches are currently under water quality advisories and have closed their waters for swimming. Keep reading to learn more about the flesh-eating bacteria and their life-threatening symptoms.

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Health officials are seeing an upward trend in vibrio cases across the U.S.

Cases of vibrio vulnificus have been escalating in the U.S. for the past several years. The trend has prompted health officials to evacuate public beaches and ban swimming in certain coastal waters as exposure puts humans at an increased risk of sickness and even death.

There are “increasing trends [of vibrio] in the entire country,” and “that’s something we are really concerned about,” Antarpreet Jutla, an associate professor of environmental engineering sciences at the University of Florida, who researches vibrio bacteria, told NBC News.

Vibrio vulnificus (or vibrio for short) is described as a “flesh-eating” bacterium because “it can lead to ‘necrotizing fasciitis,’ which is an infection that causes flesh around an open wound to die,” as Best Life previously explained.

The bacteria are naturally found in salt water, fresh water, and brackish water (a mix of the two). However, they can multiply in “high numbers in May through October, when water temperatures are warmer,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It’s estimated that 80,000 cases of vibriosis occur annually in the U.S. The CDC says that 52,000 of these incidences are due to eating contaminated food, such as oysters.

A vibrio infection can cause watery diarrhea, stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. If someone contacts vibrio via an open wound, they may also experience redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, and discharge near the infected area.

There have been 11 reported cases of vibrio in Florida alone this year, four of which resulted in death. In 2023, residents in Connecticut and New York were infected with the virus and died, Best Life reported at the time.

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Some believe the rise in vibrio infections is due to climate change.

While vibrio are naturally found in coastal waters, rising temperatures can lead to overgrowth and result in unsafe bacterial levels for human exposure. The U.S. has, without a doubt, experienced an unprecedented number of heat waves and natural disasters in recent summers. This creates the ideal breeding ground for vibrio, which “thrives in the aftermath of storms,” particularly hurricanes, according to Forbes.

In Florida, more than half of vibrio infections in 2024 were connected to Hurricane Helene. The state reported over 83 cases that year.

“These infections show that hurricane-induced mortality is significantly undercounted—and vibrio vulnificus poses a growing, climate-driven threat,” cautioned Forbes.

A study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that vibrio wound infections have “increased eightfold” between 1988 and 2018. Furthermore, by 2081, it’s projected that vibrio infections will be present in every state along the east coast “under medium-to-high future emissions and warming.”

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There are other water quality advisories to look out for, too.

Vibrio isn’t the only harmful bacteria that are infiltrating America’s most popular beaches this summer.

In a July 11 press release, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) urged the public “to avoid swimming, surfing, and playing” in ocean waters at a handful of public beaches “due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards.”

Their list includes tourist hot spot Santa Monica Pier, which averages 10 million visitors every summer. The LACDPH has issued over 20 ocean water quality advisories since June.

As of July 14, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has closed 20 beaches due to “bacterial exceedance.”

In New York, three beaches are closed for swimming, and a beach club in Westchester is under a “water quality advisory.” Four public beaches closed in Illinois after testing positive for “high levels of unsafe bacteria,” reported ABC 7 Chicago.

North Carolina health officials have issued a water quality advisory warning for Lake Norman, where waters have been tainted with cyanobacteria blooms. It has a “bright green” appearance, but can turn “milky blue” and develop a “strong, foul odor” during the decaying stage.

Before you hit the beach, check the local public health department’s records for any potential water quality advisories. If you believe you’ve swum in or accidentally ingested contaminated fresh water, see a health provider immediately.