New case of potentially fatal bacterial infection confirmed in Escambia County

From staff reports, pnj.com Published 12:58 p.m. CT Aug. 8, 2017 | Updated 1:21 p.m. CT Aug. 8, 2017

"An Escambia County resident has contracted vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria that is common to Florida waters and potentially fatal to infected individuals.

The Florida Department of Health in Escambia County received confirmation of the infection Monday, according to a department spokesperson.

The case is the second in Escambia County this year, and the sixth in the county since 2014. One Escambia County resident died as a result of infection in 2015, and two Santa Rosa County residents died of infection in 2016..."


http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2017/08/08/new-case-potentially-fatal-bacterial-infection-confirmed-escambia-county/549049001/

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In prior years' stories about such infections, we've at least been given some helpful info on where the infection took place (Sound? Bay? where?) and even how it was likely contracted. Let's hope there's an update coming, because as it is, the article is pretty useless and may engender fears where they needn't exist.

RealLindaL wrote:In prior years' stories about such infections, we've at least been given some helpful info on where the infection took place (Sound?  Bay? where?) and even how it was likely contracted.   Let's hope there's an update coming, because as it is, the article is pretty useless and may engender fears where they needn't exist.

My daughter (in ND) has talked a local friend who says it occurred in Bayou Texar...can't confirm. The man has lost 2/3 of his leg.

Floridatexan wrote:My daughter (in ND) has talked a local friend who says it occurred in Bayou Texar...can't confirm.  The man has lost 2/3 of his leg.  

Thanks, FT. Not sure why anyone would enter Bayou Texar for any reason in the first place, but am so sorry for this man. Just awful.

It used to be beautiful... it's a shame what's been allowed to happen.

PkrBum wrote:It used to be beautiful... it's a shame what's been allowed to happen.

Totally agree. I used to fantasize that Fred Levin, very wealthy local attorney who lives (or used to?) on the bayou would somehow fork up the funds to clean it up. Fantasy is right, of course.

That bacterial infection is in the gulf waters too so I don't know why people continue to swim in it? There are tons of dead bodies including fish dead bodies, poop, pee and god knows what else in those waters. I wouldn't swim in the ocean or the gulf for any reason.

RealLindaL wrote:

PkrBum wrote:It used to be beautiful... it's a shame what's been allowed to happen.

Totally agree.  I used to fantasize that Fred Levin, very wealthy local attorney who lives (or used to?) on the bayou would somehow fork up the funds to clean it up.   Fantasy is right, of course.

I lived on it too in east hill. I didn't eat from it... but there used to be trout and red fish and mullet runs.

I literally saw it decline and nobody seemed to give a damn.

PkrBum wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:

PkrBum wrote:It used to be beautiful... it's a shame what's been allowed to happen.

Totally agree.  I used to fantasize that Fred Levin, very wealthy local attorney who lives (or used to?) on the bayou would somehow fork up the funds to clean it up.   Fantasy is right, of course.

I lived on it too in east hill. I didn't eat from it... but there used to be trout and red fish and mullet runs.

I literally saw it decline and nobody seemed to give a damn.

As kids, Bayou Texar was our daily playground. Swimming, boating, skiing, and canoeing.

I know longer go into the river unless it is an emergency because I have some leg sores which are connected to a side effect of my cancer shots. I think the more stringent we are with clean water violations the better it is, but here in Illinois the biggest problem is agricultural fields where soil erosion projects have been consumed by fence post to fence post of corn production as the high prices have farmers tearing down natural areas between fields and eliminating filter areas. The herbicides and pesticides pour into our rivers as the old dual storm sewer systems pour raw sewage into our rivers. I saw the largest fish kill in Illinois history as I provided photos to the local NBC affiliate, but unlike the unified effort in the Gulf Coast to go after the polluter, in Illinois they collected a measly quarter of a million dollar fine against the railroad who caused a spill, did nothing against the old sewer plants, and agricultural run off. Clean water takes money, and in Pensacola it starts with keeping the damn dirt from all the roads and development out of the streams which feed the bayous.....dirt, oil, pesticides, insecticides, chemicals, and sewage pour into the bayous because of lack priority on funding clean water. We must do a better job because it is our grandchildren's future.

Fertilizer and yard chemicals should be banned. They caused harm and there's no good rationalization. Yards don't need to look like golf courses... neither do golf courses for that matter except the greens.

When we were kids the pristine gulf had healing properties.

When we were kids the pristine gulf had healing properties.


The bad practices in Illinois and other farm states have created a huge dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Like the military in the Panhandle, when somebody criticizes bad farming practices and greedy destruction of natural cover between farm fields they are immediately attacked. Our farmers have doubled production since the 1970s and have all but eliminated the yearly famines which once cursed this world, but you can still have good production with sound erosion practices. All those poisons pouring into the Gulf which sixty years ago seemed so crystal clear. I do not know what can be done at this late date, but it should be a priority. It starts up here, because we are largely responsible for killing the Gulf. I went to the rodeo and fair a couple of weeks ago and saw three kids with inhalers. They are saying the new Monsanto herbicide is causing rampant asthma in farm kids.....when can we strike a balance between productivity and safety?

I can understand natural fertilizer for farming... but not for yards. That alone would be significant.