WashPost: First Va. Resident Dies From Flesh-Eating Vibrio

A Virginia resident has died after becoming infected with a flesh-eating Vibrio bacteria, the first such fatality this year, The Washington Post reported.

The state's Department of Health officials did not release the person's name, or any other details about the death, but said it occurred in the department's eastern region, which includes Hampton Roads, the Post reported.

Twenty-three people in Virginia have contracted illnesses tied to Vibrio, but the fatality is the first this year in the state, the Post reported.

According to the Post, Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacteria found in brackish or warm salt waters. The person who died in Virginia suffered an infection from the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, usually found in states along the Gulf Coast.

The Post reported that in New Jersey, a man who had been crabbing near the Delaware Bay died earlier this month from a Vibrio infection.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vibriosis causes about 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths each year in the United States, with most infections occurring between May and October.

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