Florida Reports 6th Vibrio Case, Doubling Last Year's Count
Updated
Updated · Sarasota Herald-Tribune · Jun 9
Florida Reports 6th Vibrio Case, Doubling Last Year's Count
3 articles · Updated · Sarasota Herald-Tribune · Jun 9
Summary
A sixth Vibrio vulnificus infection was logged in Marion County, lifting Florida's 2026 total to six cases as of June 8.
The count is double the three cases reported by the same point last year, though the state has not yet posted any 2026 death data.
Vibrio vulnificus lives in warm, brackish coastal water and can infect open wounds or be contracted by eating raw oysters; severe cases can trigger tissue death, intensive care or amputation.
Florida recorded 33 cases and five deaths in 2025, down from 82 cases and 19 deaths in 2024 after Hurricane Helene flooding increased exposure risks.
CDC estimates Vibrio bacteria cause about 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths nationwide each year, with roughly 1 in 5 Vibrio vulnificus infections proving fatal.