In the US state of Florida, 13 people have died after being infected with the deadly bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, an outbreak of which occurred after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the state health department reports.
A total of 74 cases have been registered in Florida since the beginning of the year, most of them in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, located in Tampa Bay, where the hurricanes hit. As CNN notes, before Helene and Milton, the number of confirmed cases of infection was 38.
This is not the first time that hurricanes have caused a surge in Vibrio vulnificus infections in Florida. In particular, after Hurricane Yen in 2022, 29 new cases of the infection were registered in the state.