#FoodborneIllness

Catastrophic surge in lethal flesh-eating bacterial infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus has overwhelmed Gulf Coast medical systems across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, with 32 confirmed cases and eight tragic deaths reported as of July 2025, representing a dramatic escalation that echoes alarming global trends and raises urgent concerns for Thailand’s extensive coastlines where similar environmental conditions create perfect breeding grounds for these dangerous marine pathogens. This unprecedented outbreak, linked primarily to warm saltwater exposure and consumption of contaminated raw shellfish, particularly oysters, demands immediate attention from Thai public health authorities and coastal communities whose livelihoods depend on marine resources and tourism.

A surge in dangerous infections caused by the “flesh-eating” bacterium Vibrio vulnificus has rocked Gulf Coast states in the US, with 32 cases and eight reported deaths across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida as of July 2025, according to state health officials. The outbreak, which marks a notable increase over previous years, is linked primarily to warm saltwater exposure and the consumption of raw shellfish, particularly oysters—a scenario that echoes broader global trends and sparks concern among public health experts across coastal regions, including Thailand and Southeast Asia.

A new report has detailed one of the most significant raw milk-related disease outbreaks in recent United States history, after over 160 people—most of them young children—fell ill due to Salmonella infections linked to raw milk products from a single California dairy farm. The incident, chronicled in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on July 24, has renewed calls for consumer caution and public health awareness around unpasteurized dairy, with important lessons for Thai readers as interest in “fresh” and natural foods continues to rise both globally and domestically.