WHILE
WHILE THE
WHILE THE WORLD DOES GET INVOLVED IN TOAY WITH 19 OTHER DANGEROUS INFECTIONS
HAVE QUIETLY CONTINUED TO4@ ALSO
TAKE THEIR TOLL. KNOW WE KNOW
THERE ARE SHARKS THAT JELLYFISH
TRISTON4@ WAYS PREDATORS THAT WE
LOOK OUT FOR. RIGHT. WE'RE
IN THE WATER FOR4@ THE BEACHES
BUT THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE
LURKING BELOW. IT'S ACTUALLY
EVEN DEADLIER THAN ALL4@ WE
COMBINED. IT'S SOMETHING YOU
CAN'T EVEN SEE. MAYBE A WHY
OF YOU NEVER EVEN HEARD. AND
THAT'S A PROBLEM FOR NEARLY A
YEAR NOW 10 OF US KIDS JENNIFER
TITUS HAS BEEN RESEARCHING THIS@
DEADLY BACTERIA BELOW4@. YEAH,
THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT
THE BEACH THAT NIGHT. THE SOUND
OF WAVES CRASHING. IT'S
PEACEFUL BUT WHAT I'M ABOUT TO
TELL YOU IS ANYTHING BUT ABOUT
A BACTERIA THAT LIVES IN THE
WATER THING MORE AND MORE CASES
OF IT. AS OUR WATER GETS WARMER
,IT4@ CAN BE DEADLY. AND A TOP
RESEARCHER ON THAT ISSUE
HELPING PEOPLE NEED TO BE AWA4@E
OF IT. HE WAS A GREAT GUY4@ WHO
WAS JUST GENERALLY FUN TO BE
AROUND AND ALWAYS MADE YOU4@ FEL
GOOD. I WAS THERE GANDY. YOU
MET THEM4@? OH YEAH YEAH YEAH. @
IT'S BEEN A YEAR SINCE DAVID
PASSED AWAY IN A TENNESSEE4@
HOSPITAL. IT WAS THE FOURTH
OF JULY4@. WE ALL WENT TO ROCKY
BY HSTATE WAHT SWAM OUT THERE
BUT FOR HOURS. HOURS LATER
DAVID WOULD WAKE UP IN PAIN. 4@E
HAD LYMPHOMA. SO HE AND HIS
WIFE DROVE BACK TO THEIR
HOMETOWN4@ IN TENNESSEE. THEY
ENDED UP GOING STRAIGHT TO THE4@
HOSPITAL. THEY JUST MADE THE
CALL RIGHT. IT GOT WORSE AND
WORSE AND WORSE. I TOOK OFF HIS
SHIRT, PUT HIS GOWN ON. HE HAD
A HUGE SPACE4@ THIS BIG AND MY
MOM DESCRIBES IT IS LIKE A
SHELF OF FLESH THAT WAS TURNING
BLACK. SHE4@ GOT ME THE PICTURE
AND I SAID THAT FLESH EATING
BACTERIA. TELL THEM TELL THEM
HE'S BEEN IN THE WATER. DAVID
DIED THE NEXT DAY. BUT IT
WASN'T4@ UNTIL AFTER THAT HIS
DOCTOR FOLLOWED UP WITH A
RECORD4@ AND SAID THAT UM.
VULNIFICUS4@ BACTERIA WHAT
POSTIVE THAT CAUSED HIM TO GO
SEPTIC4@ VIBRIOVULNIFICUS IS A
BACTERIA THAT LIVES WARM
BRACKISH SEA WATER LIKE THE
GULF OF MEXICO. YOU CAN
CONTRACT ONE OF TWO WAYS
THROUGH A COD OR BY EATING RAW4@
SHELLFISH4@ SOMETHING LIKE TO
CALL IT THE FLESH EATING
BACTERIA BECAUSE SOME CASES
TURN INTO AN ENTICING FASCIITIS
WHICH LOOKS LIKE THE BEST MATCH
IS BEING EATEN AWAY. IT SEEMS
LIKE ETERNITY. AND IT SEEMS
LIKE YESTERDAY4@ NOW WHEN IT
COMES UP ON THE FLOOR
OF DEPARTMET OF HEALTH4@ THERE
HAVE BEEN FOUR HUNDRED AND
TWENTY CASES
OF VIBRIOVULNIFICUS4@ HSTATE
SINCE 2000 AND A 20 194@
ACCOUNTED FOR T4@WENTY SEVEN
OF THOSE CASES. BUT WHEN IT
COMES DAD HE'S NOT PART
OF THESE STATISTIC. IT'S ALL
BECAUSE OF HOW THE DEPARTMET
TRACKS THESE CASES SINCE4@ DAVID
DIED IN A TENNESSEE HOSPITAL.
HIS CASE WAS SENT TO THE
TENNESSEE4@ DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
NOT FORDHAM. RIGHT. YOU FIND
THAT TO BE A PROBLEM? I DO.
IN AN E MAIL4@ FROM THE TENNESSE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AN
OFFICIAL TOLD SURE FOR4@
INFECTIONS THOSE EVENTS ARE
ALWAYS REGISTERED IN THE STATE
OF PRESIDENT'S4@ FOR SOMEONE WHO
HAS A REPORTABLE CONDITION
REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE
EXPOSURES HAPPEN. I FEEL LIKE
THERE'S NOT A ACCURATE PICTURE
UP THERE. AND IT MAKES PEOPLE
FEEL TOO COMFORTABLE WITH MEAN
IT'S NOT TO SCARE PEOPLE, IT'S
JUST TO KEEP PEOPLE THAT ARE AT
RISK FROM DYING AND THERE'S
NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. THE
DOCTOR CALLED ME AND4@ VERY
POLITE BUT HE WAS VERY
CONCERNING BOTHER HER HEALTH.
HE'S LIKE THIS IS SERIOUS. HE
SAID SHE HAS AN NECROTIZING
FASCIITIS FOR WEIGHT. FLEMING
WORDS LIKE4@ NECROTIZING
FASCIITIS WERE NEW TO HIM UNTIL@
LAST SUMMER. MY MOM TYPICAL UM
PUT DOWN HER CHAIR AND SAID
I'LL SEE YOU IN 15 POINTING.
SHE TAKE A WALK IN THE VEO
DURING4@ WALK. SHE CUT HER SHIN
JUST THEN THE4@ PATH CAME BY AS
LITTLE ATV OR WHATEVER4@ SHE WAS
SPOTTED HIM. HE CAME OVER AND
RENDERED FIRST4@ WITHIN TWO
WE4@EKS. CAROLYN FLEMMING PASSED
AWAY, YOU KNOW. IF I HAD KNOWN
THAT YOU KNOW IT WAS SOMETHING
SO SEVERE WE WOULD'VE HSTATE.
BUT AGAIN THERE WERE NO SIGNS4@
NO NO WARNING, NO SIGN. DO YOU
THINK IT'S MORE PREVALENT NOW
THE CASE SAID DEFINITELY DIDN'T
CLEAN UP4@ SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE
YOU SAID WATER. DR. AFSAR LEID
IS A RES4@EARCH PROFESSOR AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA4@ FOR HIS
ENTIRE 34 YEAR CAREER. HE HAS
BEEN STUDYING4@ EMBRYOS THIS
SEASON THE SEASON OF DEFINITIVE
ON THE VEO IMPORT THESE TYPE
OF DISEASES. DR. ALWORTH SAYS4@
PEOPLE WITH UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS NEED TO BE VERY
CONCERNED AND MADE AWARE4@ THIS
DEADLY BACTERIA. AND SETH, IT'S
A BIG DEAL. IT IS NOT A SMALL
THING. IT DOES IN LIFE IS A4@
LIFE. NOW WHEN YOU HEAR GABRIEL@
VULNIFICUS NECROTIZING
FASCIITIS, WHAT GOES4@ MEIDA? I
JUST I WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW
AND UNDERSTAND THAT. I DON'T
WANT ANYBODY TO GO4@ THROUGH
THAT. I WANT ANYMORE. I DON'T
WANT ANYBODY ELSE TO LOSE THEIR
LOVED ONE AFTER HAVING GONE ON
VACATION JUST BECAUSE THEY
DIDN'T KNOW AND BOTH FAMILIES
ARE PUSHING FOR CHANGE WHEN IT
COMES TO EDUCATING4@ PEOPLE ABOT
THEIR WIYGUL VULNIFICUS. THEY
DON'T LIKE TO SEE THIGNS ON OUR
BEACHES WARNING PEOPLE WITH
UNDERLYING CONDITIONS ABOUT THE
POTENTIAL OF THIS DEADLY
BACTERIA. GUYS, CURRALL DOES
HAVE A PETITION ONLINE4@ RIGHT
NOW PUSHING 40 THIGNS4@. AS WE
MENTIONED, THIS IS A DANGER
MANY OF US DON'T4@ THINK ABOUT
WHEN WE HEAD TO THE BEACH. SO
HOW COMMON IS IT? 4@LET'S TAKE A
DEEPER DOVE INT4@O THAT THEN 20
20. THERE HAVE BEEN 29 CASES
IN FLORIDA AND FOUR DEATHS. SIX
OF THOSE CASES4@ WERE IN THE
TAMPA BAY AREA. TWO OF THOSE
CASES AND EVEN SOME4@ SOME ONE
IN HERNANDO COUNTY. THE OTHER
ASPECT OF THE BACTERIA IS MORE
PREVALENT IN WA4@RMER MONTHS 80
PERCENT OF INFECTIONS OCCUR
BETWEEN MAY AND OCTOBER WHEN
WATER TEMPERATURES ARE WARMER.
REMEMBER THESE ARE ONLY CASES
THAT WERE FOUND IN FLORIDA
RESIDENTS. IF SOMEONE FROM
ANOTHER STATE IS VISITING
FLORIDA4@ AND GETS INFECTED, THT
CASE COUNT IS IN THEIR HOME
STATE.