Is It Safe to Enter the Water?

Cason Yeager was no stranger to water. Scalloping has been one of his favorite summertime activities during the past five years. In addition, the 26-year-old landscaper from Fruitland Park could often be found swimming in Crystal River at places such as Kings Bay, Hunter Springs Park and Sandy Hook.

“He loved the water,” recalled his mother, Karen Yeager Mercer.  “He has been going in the water since he was a little boy. There were never any concerns or problems.”

But on a Sunday afternoon in June, a boating trip with family and friends proved fatal. Cason contracted Vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium found in warm, salty water. It is responsible for 35 deaths each year, and nearly 50 percent of cases prove fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most deaths occur in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico.

Cason, his mother and five other boaters went swimming June 14 in waist-deep water in a channel near Weeki Wachee. The following day, Cason began experiencing chills, extreme thirst and pain in his lower leg.

“Cason had cellulitis earlier this year, so we initially thought that was his problem,” Karen said.

However, when his symptoms persisted, Cason was hospitalized at 11:30 p.m. Monday. Doctors administered antibiotics, which proved ineffective in fighting the infection. A day later, he began experiencing breathing problems. He was taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit and placed on a ventilator. He died later that night—48 hours after the bacteria entered his body.

There was no mention of Vibrio vulnificus until after his death.

“Cason had the classic symptoms, and doctors need to be more aware of the symptoms,” Karen said. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health departments are not doing a good job putting the information out there.”

About  Vibrio vulnificus 

Nobody could have predicted that a rare type of bacteria would join riptides and sharks as the biggest threats in the ocean. Yet, that seems to be the case in 2015.

It may not rank next to “Y2K” on the panic scale, but some Floridians are growing increasingly concerned. In fact, some are staying firmly planted on the beach without even sticking their toes in the water.

Karen does not advocate avoiding the ocean, but she does urge extreme caution.

“People need to be aware of their own risks,” she said. “If you have chronic health problems, then you better not take this bacteria lightly. It’s not something to fool around with.”

Vibrio vulnificus generally is non-threatening. However, it can be potentially fatal for people with liver or kidney disease or a weakened immune system from drugs such as chemotherapy. People with open wounds or cuts are also at risk, as well as those who consume infected shellfish.

As a child, Cason was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that attacked his liver. However, the disease had been in remission for 11 years. Karen does not recall him having any visible cuts or wounds on his body.

“He was very healthy and strong,” she said.  “Risk factors need to be made known and the public needs to be better notified about this. Nobody deserves to go through this.”

Should I go in the water?

Vibrio vulnificus is rare. Consider that in 2014 Florida drew a record 97.3 million tourists, many of whom visit Florida’s Gulf Coast where the bacteria is present. In that same year, the state reported 32 Vibrio vulnificus infections—only seven of which resulted in death.

Odds are quite favorable that you’ll never encounter the bacteria.

Still, all precautions should be taken. If you have open wounds, cuts, sores, punctures and burns, you should avoid swimming in seawater, or, at the very least, consider wearing waterproof rubber gloves or apply a water-resistant bacterial ointment.

Take strong safety measures. After all, nobody wants to experience the heartache Karen has endured.

“It’s still hard for me to imagine that he’s gone,” she said. “He loved everybody.”

Anyone with an open cut who has been swimming in the ocean should be sure to:

1. Use sterile water to flush out the wound. If you are on a boat use bottled water.

2. Wash the wound with soap and water.

3. Use hydrogen peroxide to flush and clean the wound and then disinfect with an application of Betadine. Both products can be purchased at local drug stores.

4. Visit an emergency room mmediately if your wound swells and turns bright red. Make sure to tell the

physician that you have been in salt water.
Source: The University of South Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory

Although we cannot say with certainty the odds of contracting Vibrio vulnificus, here are the odds of dying from other unlikely causes, according to researchers at NPR.

1 in 11 million chance of dying in a plane crash
1 in 9.6 million chance of dying from a lightning strike
1 in 5.2 million chance of dying from a bee sting

1 in 3.7 million chance of being killed by a shark

1 in 19,000 chance of being murdered

1 in 9,100 chance of being killed in a car accident

Source: onlineathens.com/health/2014-10-30/odds-catching-ebola-are-small.