Why Fatal 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria Infections Are On The Rise

Fatal infections from "flesh-eating" bacteria Vibrio vulnificus are on the rise, with eight deaths and dozens more cases already this year, and experts warn that climate change is in part to blame.

"Available data indicates that infections are indeed on the rise, particularly in the Gulf Coast and surrounding regions," Antarpreet Jutla, a professor and director of the USGS FL Water Resources Research Center, and director of the GeoHealth and Hydrology Laboratory at the University of Florida, told Newsweek .

"Climate change is likely a major reason," R. Sean Norman, a professor and director of the Molecular Microbial Ecology Laboratory in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of South Carolina, told Newsweek .

Why This Matters

The deadly bacteria thrives