Lenny and Joann Buck wanted to spend their 24th wedding anniversary at the beach in Baldwin County, but the Georgia couple's vacation plans now include the hospital. 
 
 Lenny got sick after eating raw oysters at an Orange Beach restaurant. He had a fever and developed sores and blisters on one of his legs. Lenny contracted Vibrio Vulnificus, a potentially deadly, flesh eating bacteria. 
 
 The bacteria thrives in warm, saltwater and can enter the body through open wounds or by eating contaminated shellfish. The bacteria can be particularly dangerous to people with pre-existing medical conditions or compromised immune systems. 
 
 Lenny- who is diabetic and a cancer survivor- has been at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley for the past 13 days. He faces his 6th surgery Thursday to repair his damaged and infected leg. 
 
 Doctors say Lenny won't be able to walk for at least four months. Lenny tells us he's never eating raw oysters again. ||||| × Texas woman recounts her ‘unreal’ fight against flesh-eating bacteria 
 
 AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas woman is recovering after a trip to the beach quickly turned into a life-threatening scare. 
 
 “I feel like I’ve absolutely walked out of this like a cat that used one of their lives,” said Michelle O’Brien. 
 
 Within hours, a seemingly small accident left Michelle’s family never wanting to return. 
 
 Michelle and her son were looking for sea glass when she stepped on an oyster. 
 
 “That oyster was like a razor blade, like a surgeon’s scalpel, it went straight through,” she said. 
 
 Even though she was wearing thick sneakers, Michelle was exposed to Vibrio Vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria. 
 
 “Kinda like you’re on fire from within,” she said. 
 
 Vibrio Vulnificus is in the same family as Cholera. 
 
 It attacks the immune system and can destroy feet, hands and anywhere there is an open wound. 
 
 “The only reason I still have my foot attached to me is because I got those early antibiotics in,” she said. 
 
 She was headed home to Austin with a dose of antibiotics, but they were not enough. 
 
 Michelle spent five days in the hospital, mostly in the ICU. 
 
 “It was unreal how quickly it came on,” O’Brien said. 
 
 Most cases of the bacteria happen between May and October because that’s when the water is warmest. 
 
 “People don’t realize it’s not just on oysters, this bacteria is in the water. If it were a small child or an older person or somebody that’s not in tip-top shape, it is absolutely deadly,” she said. 
 
 She says she is thankful for the second chance she has been given and will never look at the ocean the same way again. ||||| Wikimedia Commons So apparently there's a flesh-eating bacteria that thrives in warm saltwater and is living in our oceans, according to Florida health officials. 
 
 The bacteria, known as vibrio vulnificus, has caused 32 people to be hospitalized and killed ten in Florida. That was through a period of years, not all at once. Since 2013, there have been five cases of vibrio and two deaths in Broward County. 
 
 Still, it's enough of a risk that the Florida Department of Health issued new warnings on Monday. So if you plan on heading out to the beach for a swim, be aware that a flesh-eating bacteria is floating around out there. 
 
 Here's what you need to know about vibrio. 
 
 See also: South Florida Sees the First Local Cases of the Mosquito Virus Chikungunya 
 
 First of all, the bacterium normally lives in warm seawater and is part of a group of vibrios that are called "halophilic" because they require salt. And if there are two things Florida waters have plenty of, it's warmth and salt. 
 
 "A person can contract vibrio by eating tainted raw shellfish and oysters," Florida Department of Health Deputy Press Secretary Pamela Crane tells New Times. "And people who swim in seawater [and] have open wounds are also vulnerable to the bacteria." 
 
 Vibrio can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, but is especially dangerous for people with weak immune systems, especially those with chronic liver disease. Vibrio can get into the bloodstream and cause life-threatening illnesses. Symptoms include fever, chills, a drop in blood pressure, and skin lesions. 
 
 According to the Florida Department of Health, those who get the bacteria into their bloodstreams die about 50 percent of the time. People with weaker immune systems were 80 times more likely to develop the infection in the bloodstream than healthy people, according to health officials. 
 
 Reports of people contracting the vibrio bacteria are rare, however. That may be because it's gone largely unnoticed over the years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 900 infections have been reported from the Gulf Coast states between 1988 and 2006. Prior to 2007, there really was no way of monitoring it. 
 
 So basically, if you have a weak immune system or an open wound, it's best to avoid the water for now. If you do go swimming, make sure to wash off thoroughly afterward. 
 
 "It's rare, but we wanted to get the warning out there to make sure people are educated about it," Crane says. 
 
 The best way of avoidance, however, is to stay away from raw oysters and other shellfish. If you absolutely, positively must eat the stuff, make sure it's cooked thoroughly. Be sure to boil shucked oysters for at least three minutes, or fry them in oil for at least ten minutes at 375°F. 
 
 The main thing is that this is a normal occurrence in our waters. Chances are, you've already been swimming in vibrio-infected waters and are doing just fine. What health officials want to stress is that people with weak immune systems should take extra precautions. 
 
 Nobody needs a bad case of the runs from all orifices after a nice day out at the beach. 
 
 For more info, read the handy-dandy flier we've embedded below: 
 
 Vibrio Info by Chris Joseph 
 
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– Not long after Florida warned beachgoers to be careful, new reports are emerging of tourists suffering from flesh-eating bacteria. The Weather Channel points to reports of at least three deaths in the state this year, while others have suffered from Vibrio Vulnificus in Alabama and Texas. A Georgia man ended up with sores on his leg and a fever after eating raw oysters at a restaurant in Orange Beach, Alabama; officials have warned against eating raw shellfish. Diabetic and cancer survivor Lenny Buck, who was celebrating his 24th wedding anniversary, is due for a sixth surgery on his leg this week, WKRG reports. A woman from Austin, Texas, meanwhile, has contracted the disease after cutting her foot on an oyster in Galveston. "That oyster was like a razor blade, like a surgeon’s scalpel, it went straight through," Michelle O'Brien says, per KFOR. She was hospitalized for five days and says she would have lost her foot without antibiotics. The illness can be contracted by swimming in affected areas, and it can be fatal about half the time. (Read about another "nightmare bacteria" also on the rise in the South.)