MANATEE COUNTY – The Florida Department of Health (DOH)-Manatee County is reporting one confirmed case of vibrio vulnificus, commonly known as flesh-eating bacteria, in Manatee County this year.
Two deaths from the bacteria were reported in Manatee County, one in 2023 and one in 2024.
The DOH warns against entering the water if you have fresh cuts or scrapes, as vibrio vulnificus can cause an infection of the skin when open wounds are exposed to warm seawater; these infections may lead to skin breakdown and ulcers.
“The bacterium can invade the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness with symptoms like fever, chills, decreased blood pressure (septic shock) and blistering skin lesions. Vibrio vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal about 50% of the time,” according to DOH.
Individuals who are immunocompromised – for example, those with chronic liver disease, kidney disease or a weakened immune system – should wear proper foot protection to prevent cuts and injury caused by rocks and shells on the beach, according to DOH.
A recent study showed that people with these pre-existing medical conditions were 80 times more likely to develop vibrio vulnificus bloodstream infections than healthy people.
Wound infections may be more serious in people with weakened immune systems. The wound may heal poorly and require surgery. Sometimes an amputation may be needed for recovery.
Between 1988 and 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received reports of more than 900 vibrio vulnificus infections from the Gulf coast states, where most cases occur.
People can also get infected with vibrio vulnificus when they eat raw shellfish, particularly oysters.
The DOH offers the following tips to prevent infection:
Do not eat raw oysters or other raw shellfish. Cook shellfish thoroughly.
For shellfish in the shell, either a) boil until the shells open and continue boiling for five more minutes, or b) steam until the shells open and then continue cooking for 9 more minutes. Do not eat those shellfish that do not open during cooking. Boil shucked oysters at least three minutes, or fry them in oil at least 10 minutes at 375°F.
Avoid cross-contamination of cooked seafood and other foods with raw seafood and juices from raw seafood.
Eat shellfish promptly after cooking and refrigerate leftovers.
Avoid exposure of open wounds or broken skin to warm salt or brackish water, or to raw shellfish harvested from such waters.
BRADENTON – A 66-year-old Bradenton resident had his leg amputated on Nov. 11 after coming in contact with flesh-eating bacteria (vibrio vulnificus) at a time when confirmed vibrio vulnificus cases are on the rise statewide.
The man came in contact with the flesh-eating bacteria while wading and fishing in Sarasota Bay, near the IMG Academy Golf Club along El Conquistador Parkway in Bradenton.
According to a family member, the longtime Bradenton resident went fishing in Sarasota Bay on Nov. 3 and his shoe or boot rubbed his skin on the back of his leg raw, creating an open wound near his Achilles tendon. The man fished in that location again on Nov. 5.
On Nov. 9, he began experiencing uncontrollable diarrhea, vomiting, severe leg pain and skin discoloration between his ankle and his knee. After being hospitalized, his leg was amputated on Nov. 11. As of Friday, Nov. 15, he was recovering but he remained unconscious and faces a long recovery process, the family member said.
CASES INCREASE
According to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) website that is updated every Friday, vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring bacteria found in warm, brackish saltwater. The flesh-eating bacteria enters the body through the direct ingestion of contaminated water or through open wounds, cuts or scrapes.
Confirmed cases of vibrio vulnificus increased after Hurricane Helene passed through Florida in late September.
According to the FDOH website, “In 2024, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota Counties experienced unusual increase due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. In 2022, Collier and Lee Counties experienced unusual increase due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian.”
According to FDOH, 81 cases of vibrio vulnificus have been confirmed in Florida so far in 2024, with 16 reported deaths. In 2023, 46 cases were confirmed statewide, with 11 deaths.
In 2022, there were 74 confirmed cases and 17 deaths.
There’s been one confirmed case of vibrio vulnificus in Manatee County in 2024 and two in Sarasota County, with no vibrio-related deaths in either county. In 2023, there was one confirmed and fatal case in Manatee County and six cases and two fatalities in Sarasota County. This year, Pinellas County leads Florida with 15 confirmed cases and three deaths.
FDOH INSIGHTS
On Friday, FDOH Communications Director Jae Williams provided some additional insights and information about the flesh-eating bacteria.
Williams said the increase in confirmed 2024 cases and deaths is specifically correlated to Hurricane Helene. He noted there was also a spike in reported cases in 2022 after Hurricane Ian.
“Hurricanes bring a ripe environment for vibrio. They bring storm surge and rain and then we have that brackish water that vibrio needs. Hurricanes bring a lot of contamination and it’s not just debris and household materials. We have sewage lines ruptured and garbage cans spilling over. There’s a lot of opportunity for this standing water to become contaminated. When the storm surge recedes and the rain goes away, you still have standing water baking in the Florida sun for several days. That’s where vibrio’s able to develop. Vibrio is not necessarily in floodwater, but it’ sin contaminated water. Regardless of the contamination source, it’s warm, shallow, brackish, stagnant water. That’s where you’re going to find it. You’re not going to find it in the middle of the Gulf ,the middle of Lake Okeechobee or in the middle of a moving river,” Williams said.
“With hurricanes, not only is the environment more conducive to vibrio, but people often find themselves needing to wade through standing floodwater. There are many reasons to stay out of floodwater… but the scariest would be vibrio,” Williams said.
Regarding the Bradenton man, Williams said, “If he was fishing in the (first) week of November, that would not be attributed to either of the hurricanes. Unfortunately, this is just one of those regular cases we see throughout the year.”
Williams said Florida averages about 35 confirmed vibrio vulnificus cases and 10-12 deaths per year. FDOH doesn’t test Florida waters for vibrio vulnificus or issue vibrio vulnificus advisories when a confirmed case is reported because the harmful but short-lived bacteria usually washes away or dissipates before the area can be tested.
“There’s no way for us to go back and find it,” Williams said, noting that each confirmed case is reported to the health department. “Vibrio vulnificus is a reportable disease in Florida. If a health care facility diagnoses someone with vibrio vulnificus, that facility is required by law to report that to the Department of Health.
“It’s rare, but it’s scary and its serious. It’s unfortunate that this man’s leg was amputated, but he’s very lucky they got it before he died,” Williams said. “If you wade in standing water and develop severe flu-like symptoms, get medical attention immediately.”
Williams was asked if vibrio presents a risk to dogs and other animals.
“Certainly,” he replied. “If they ingest it or have open wounds, they are at risk the same way a human would be. Pets shouldn’t be in shallow, standing water either.”
BRADENTON – Kelli Whitehead is making progress in her battle with necrotizing fasciitis, but she still faces a long road to recovery.
As of Sunday, Whitehead, a Bradenton resident, remained hospitalized at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton, with necrotizing fasciitis, the technical term for the symptom of decomposing flesh.
Whitehead’s family believes she encountered a harmful bacteria while wading in the Gulf of Mexico in Bradenton Beach approximately three weeks ago. But no doctor or Florida Department of Health official has confirmed the Gulf as the source of the bacteria.
On Monday, Nov. 4, Whitehead’s daughter, Brittany Burton, said the doctor told her the bacteria her mom contracted was staphylococcus. Burton, a Bradenton resident, said the doctor could not confirm the family’s suspicions regarding the bacteria’s origins.
Burton and Whitehead’s sister, Amanda Fletcher, originally expressed fears that Whitehead might not survive this ordeal, but those fears have been alleviated.
“Just got an update from Kelli’s husband: The doctor said she is doing really good. They have taken most of the hookups off her and are starting to work her off the ventilator. She still isn’t awake and aware but is partially at times. She will have a very, very long road ahead the doctor said, but he said she’s going to be fine!” Fletcher posted at her Facebook page on Saturday.
“Robbin (Whitehead’s husband) said he’s never seen a doctor with as much passion as Kelli’s. And I knew when I went to see her, I had never seen such care given at a hospital. Kelli has had her own full-time nurse the whole time, either always in her room or right outside it. She’s had a team of wonderful doctors as well. I truly believe had she been anywhere else she may be in a different situation. But mostly she wouldn’t be where she is now without the prayers and God. Please continue prayers for her and she has a long, long way to go and a lot to still go through. But I am grateful she will be here to go through that,” Fletcher wrote.
Sunday morning, Fletcher wrote in a text message, “She breathed for two and a half hours on her own yesterday. She smiled at them last night.”
Sunday evening, Burton wrote in a text message, “She’s has been breathing on her own since 8:30 this morning. She is doing good and her turnaround is amazing. We are continuing to pray. I’m so grateful for her being with us today.”
News of Whitehead’s health challenges became public on Oct. 28 when her mother, Joan Smart Brown, from Memphis, Tenn., started a Facebook fundraising page for Kelli Brown Whitehead. At the fundraising page, Brown expressed the family’s suspicions regarding the source of the bacteria and noted one of Whitehead’s legs had been amputated.
As of Monday, Nov. 11, 36 contributors donated $2,300 to Brown’s fundraiser. The funds will assist Whitehead and her husband with their living expenses. Fletcher, who lives in Covington, Tenn., started a second Facebook fundraiser titled “In Kelli’s Corner,” which raised another $250.
Brown arrived in Bradenton on Monday, Nov. 4 and spent time last week with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.
BRADENTON – Bradenton resident Kelli Brown Whitehead was recently hospitalized and diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis.
Whitehead’s family members suspect but have not confirmed that Whitehead’s illness is related to wading in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Monday, Nov. 4 Whitehead’s family gathered around her at Blake Medical Center for what they feared might be one of the final days of her life.
One week earlier, on Oct. 28, Whitehead’s mother, Joan Smart Brown from Memphis, Tenn., started a Kelli Brown Whitehead Facebook fundraising page for her adopted daughter.
“Kelli went wading in the Gulf of Mexico and got that flesh-eating bacteria. It spread fast and she lost all of her left leg and is on a ventilator and having kidney dialysis. She is in critical condition in a hospital in Florida. She and Robin (Kelli’s husband) are living off his disability check. Anything that you could contribute would help them out. It will be used to help him with his immediate living expenses and food,” Brown wrote at the fundraiser page.
As of Monday, 22 contributors donated $1,415 toward the initial $2,000 fundraising goal.
Family speaks
Brown spoke with The Sun on Saturday afternoon by text and telephone. She said she was told by another family member that her daughter was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis. Brown planned to travel to Bradenton on Tuesday, Nov. 5, but moved her travel plans up one day due to Whitehead’s rapidly worsening condition.
On Saturday, Brown said she was told Whitehead and her husband waded in the Gulf of Mexico north of Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach approximately two weeks ago.
“They were just wading around, they weren’t even swimming. And the next day or so, her foot began to hurt so bad,” Brown said, noting that Whitehead has had Type 1 diabetes all her life.
This photograph of Kelli Brown Whitehead and her daughter Brittany Burton was taken earlier this year. – Submitted | Brittany Burton
“When they got to the hospital it was eating her leg away. She lost her leg and the fear now is it might spread to the organs. It’s horrible,” Brown said.
On Sunday, The Sun spoke with Whitehead’s daughter, Brittany Burton, who lives in Bradenton.
“My mom is diabetic. She would only walk in the water a little bit. She must have had a cut. She thought she pulled a muscle and the pain started in her thigh,” Burton said.
Burton said her mom waited about a week before she was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Manatee Memorial Hospital where, according to Burton, she was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis and transferred to Blake.
“She’s in very critical condition,” Burton said, noting that her mother’s organs were failing.
Burton said she asked the nurse if her mom was dying.
“He wanted to talk around it. I said, ‘Is my mom dying yes or no?’ He said yes,” Burton said.
“The Gulf that my mother loved so much is eating her alive. This has all taken place in eight or nine days at the most. It’s just unreal. It’s horrific,” Burton said.
Kelli Brown Whitehead, left, and her sister Amanda Fletcher. – Submitted | Amanda Fletcher
After recently visiting her sister and returning to Tennessee, Amanda Fletcher spoke to The Sun on Sunday. She and Whitehead are sisters by birth but were adopted and raised by different families and reconnected later in life.
Fletcher and Burton both questioned why the public isn’t made more aware of potentially harmful bacteria that exist in Florida’s waters. Fletcher said the fundraising efforts will help Robin Whitehead pay his rent and other living expenses and assist with the anticipated funeral expenses.
On Monday, Burton said her mother’s doctor told her that afternoon that the exact bacteria was staphylococcus, but the doctor could not confirm it was contracted while wading in the Gulf.
Reporting requirements
On Thursday, Oct. 31, a receptionist at Blake Medical Center in Bradenton confirmed Kelli Whitehead was currently a patient, but she could not comment on her condition or the cause of it.
The Sun then contacted Chris Tittel, communications director for the Florida Department of Health in Manatee County.
Kelli Brown Whitehead and her son Trey. – Submitted | Brittany Burton
Speaking by phone Thursday afternoon, Tittel said the health department had not received any notification from the Blake Medical Center regarding a case of Vibrio vulnificus, which he said is a specific bacteria medical providers are required to report.
Tittel sent a follow-up email to The Sun that included a response he received from a health department epidemiologist regarding The Sun’s inquiry.
“Necrotizing fasciitis would be the technical term for the symptom of decomposing flesh,” the epidemiologist wrote. “It depends on the bacteria that caused the necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio is known to cause it and that is reportable, however, we had a lady in Ellenton a few months back pass away from necrotizing fasciitis. The bacteria she contracted was streptococcus, which is only reportable in children under the age of six.”
On Friday, Nov. 1, The Sun emailed Blake spokesperson Lisa Kirkland and asked if the hospital was treating anyone who came in contact with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria or another type of bacteria, such as streptococcus, that could cause necrotizing fasciitis.
“I’m not at liberty to comment,” Kirkland responded.
Tittel said as of late Monday that the department had not received word from any health care provider confirming the cause of the illness is due to a condition reportable to the state, such as Vibriosis.
Tittel said the Florida Department of Health runs the “Swim It, Shore It, Dodge It” campaign, which discourages anyone with open cuts or wounds or weakened immune systems from entering open waters where infectious bacteria naturally occur.
A video associated with that campaign can be found online.
“The department sympathizes with family and friends over this tragedy,” Tittel said.
