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Florida flesh-eating bacteria outbreak 2026
One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.
2 DAYS
28 FACTS
2 EVENTS
2 SOURCES
FIRST ENTRY SEP 16
SEP 17 · Day 2
Florida reports rise in Vibrio vulnificus infections
Genevieve Gallagher of Pensacola lost her left leg below the knee from a Vibrio vulnificus infection last year.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health told WMBF News it was aware of three cases and one related death this year.
Four cases of Vibrio vulnificus have been reported in Texas.
“If you have a cut on your leg, a mosquito bite that you scratched and it’s open, if you shaved your legs before you are going to the beach the next day, you are leaving those little microscopic openings for this bacteria to make its way in.”
GENEVIEVE GALLAGHER
verbatim
SEP 16 · Day 1
Fourth Florida resident dies from flesh-eating bacteria linked to oysters
The individual who died was from Broward County and between the ages of 75 and 79.
The death was included Thursday in the Florida Department of Health's updated fatality count for Vibrio vulnificus.
Louisiana has reported 15 cases and six deaths from Vibrio vulnificus as of Sept. 9.