No. 69 of 108
August 21, 2025
Officials are warning beachgoers along the Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard about a bacteria called vibrio vulnificus, which flourishes in the combination of salt plus warmer waters. Once infected, the bacteria is flesh-eating, often requiring multiple surgeries to remove flesh. Dozens of people lose their lives each year, and cases increase as waters warm. Prevention is a matter of avoidance. Avoid entering the ocean and eating raw shellfish if your immune system is compromised, and especially if you have a flesh wound of any kind, including a recent tattoo or piercing.
Some living beings will flourish more in warmer conditions. Bacteria be one. Whether you believe in climate change or not, nature will be what it will be. Take measures! This news item caught my attention because, temporarily far from my usual home, I am in proximity of possibility of contact. A good reminder to be aware and adaptive of the changing environment – conditions, nature, culture, human behavior, energy, sentiment -- around us, wherever we may be, wherever we may travel.