What you need to know about the 'terror of the deep'
We are getting a closer look at the potentially deadly bacteria that health officials warn is spreading on Florida beaches.
Wednesday, June 18th 2014, 7:16 PM EDT
Friday, August 1st 2014, 2:16 PM EDT
Vibrio vulnificus can lead to nasty infections if it's not treated immediately.
Officials say the warmer waters help the bacteria spread along the coast - increasing your risk for infection.
Unwinding and letting loose: it's why so many people go to the beach.
"We've just been beach hopping. Doing Sanibel here and there, just having a blast," said Sue Lucks who is visiting from Colorado.
But lurking in the warm water could be something no one would want to experience.
"There's a still of reasons when the water gets warm to be concerned," said Cape Coral resident Barbara Blood.
"If you have a cut, don't go in, huh? Whoops," said Lucks.
That is what health officials are stressing. Vibrio vulnificus or "terror of the deep" is a bacteria that's always in the water. But it is more prominent in the summer when the water is warm.
"It's still a nice temperature. So, I haven't been too concerned about any bacteria," said Blood.
It enters the body through open wounds or cuts. You can also get it from eating raw shellfish.
Many cases in the past involve vacationers who are unaware that the water poses a deadly risk.
"I cut my toe a little bit on the pool that we were staying on, but just a little scrape. Should be, hopefully, okay," said Lucks.
"The risk is assumed to be the same from one year to the next," said Diane Holm with the Florida Department of Health.
Holm says people with weakened immune systems are most at risk. The Department of Health is trying to raise awareness early this summer, while at the same time addressing common misconceptions – like how you can get infected.
Those infected will experience major swelling around the cut. 50 percent of people infected die; that's because most wait to go to the doctor instead of going to the emergency room right away.
The vibrio vulnificus is easily treated with antibiotics.
So far this year, there have been two cases in Lee County. One person died and another went to the E.R. right away. That person is doing fine.