Cases of Flesh-Eating Bacteria Expected to Rise as Oceans Continue to Warm

Cases of Flesh-Eating Bacteria , Expected to Rise , as Oceans Continue to Warm.

NBC reports that potentially deadly infections from a flesh-eating bacteria could increase as climate change continues to warm the world's oceans.

NBC reports that potentially deadly infections from a flesh-eating bacteria could increase as climate change continues to warm the world's oceans.

According to a study published in 'Scientific Reports,' infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus on the East Coast of the United States could double in the next two decades.

The study suggests that warmer sea temperatures allow the bacteria to thrive in waters where it has never been able to survive in before.

NBC reports that the findings highlight the connection between human health and the health of the planet.

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There are these complex interactions between the environment and agents of disease, and it’s important to be aware of the way the world is changing and how these changes are driving risks to human health.

, Elizabeth Archer, lead author of the study and postgraduate researcher at the University of East Anglia, via NBC.

According to the researchers behind the study, V.

Vulnificus responds to minor shifts in temperature, making it , "a sort of barometer of what’s going on in coastal areas because it is so environmentally sensitive.”.

The team projects that the bacteria will continue to advance further northward up the coast, eventually reaching New York by the 2040s.

Dr. Louise Ivers, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, points out that while V.

Vulnificus infections are very rare, they are also devastating.

NBC reports that such infections are both difficult and expensive to treat, with one study finding that V.

Vulnificus treatments cost an estimated $28 million per year.

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NBC reports that such infections are both difficult and expensive to treat, with one study finding that V.

Vulnificus treatments cost an estimated $28 million per year.

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Sometimes the rarest of illnesses can cost the most to the health care system, especially if they’re unexpected and very aggressive, Dr. Louise Ivers, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, via NBC