Beach communities try to calm nerves over 'flesh eating' bacteria scare

GALVESTON — Recent news reports about a man becoming gravely ill and losing a leg to "flesh-eating bacteria" in the Gulf of Mexico gave Maria Munoz pause about a planned family trip to the beach in Galveston.

"I was worried about my family, especially my daughter, because she is so young," said Munoz, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

But the idea of lolling on the beach under azure skies and a dip in inviting, cool water overcome her fears and on Wednesday, she sat under an umbrella near the seawall as her 10-year-old daughter, Lizbeth, and other relatives swam in the surf.

Galveston officials and others along the Texas Gulf Coast are hoping that the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to flock to the state's beaches this Independence Day weekend make the same choice. Galveston, which has about 50,000 residents, is expecting its population to swell at least five-fold during this coming holiday weekend depending on the weather.

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Here's what you need to know about vibrio vulnificus Galveston tourism officials say they expect a busy holiday weekend despite news reports about bacteria.

Here's what you need to know about vibrio vulnificus Galveston tourism officials say they expect a busy holiday weekend despite news reports about bacteria. Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Image 1 of / 69 Caption Close Beach communities try to calm nerves over 'flesh eating' bacteria scare 1 / 69 Back to Gallery

Three cases of people falling ill recently due to the Vibrio bacteria in Galveston, Port Aransas and McFaddin Beach have sparked widespread concern from prospective beachgoers, resulting in a scramble by local officials to assure visitors that the health risks are low.

Nevertheless, hundreds of phone calls from worried people have flooded into Galveston County and Port Aransas.

Scott Packard at the Galveston County Health District said he fielded more than 200 phone calls over seven days after the first news reports about an infection contracted at a Galveston beach.

"These people who call me, a lot of them seem to have a sense of panic in their voice," Packard said. "People are calling and asking the same sorts of questions: What's going on with this flesh-eating bacteria? Is it safe to come to Galveston?"

The answer is yes, for the vast majority of people.

By the numbers 100 Estimated number of deaths in the U.S. annually from Vibrio infections. 102 Number of Vibrio illnesses reported in Texas last year. There were four deaths, but three were from food. 28 Number of Texas cases reported so far this year. More information:

For answers to frequently asked questions about the Vibrio (or flesh-eating) bacteria, visit www.cdc.gov/vibrio/faq.html

Thrives in warm water

Vibrio, as the bacteria is commonly known, is always present in salt and brackish water throughout the United States, thriving in warm weather. Those most at risk of contracting vibriosis (the infection) are people with compromised immune systems and an open wound.

But media reports on the recent cases, including that of a Jacinto City man who lost his leg, have people reacting as if a shark were stalking bathers on Texas beaches.

"What we have right now is an example of stories in the media, stories online that are not painting a comprehensive picture of what this bacteria is," Packard said. "This is unfortunate that the media is leading people to believe that there is an increase in Vibrio …that is simply not the case."

The Vibrio scare is not the only media-hyped incident to spread concern among Galveston tourists. News reports from time to time focus on enterococcus bacteria counts done at 52 monitoring stations on Galveston County beaches each day. The amount of the bacteria measured tends to increase after rain washes pollutants into the Gulf, and the news media often seizes on the higher counts as evidence of polluted beaches, Packard said.

The bacteria counts have been so low in recent weeks that Packard has bragged about them. Vibrio is not monitored.

A recent Facebook post by a mother accusing the Schlitterbahn waterpark in Galveston of being a source of staph infections went viral, prompting the Galveston Health District to launch an investigation.

Officials said they didn't find "an increase in staph infection related to Schlitterbahn Galveston," Packard said. "Additionally, our epidemiologists were able to talk on the phone with the concerned mother in order to get the name of the doctor who treated her child. We followed up with UTMB and there remain no reports from doctors there of an increase in staph infection affiliated with Schlitterbahn."

The Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau declined to make someone available to discuss the effect of the Vibrio scare on tourism, but issued a statement: "Media hype and sensationalized coverage of rare events is something that, unfortunately, happens. But based on the response we've received, it seems most visitors are smart enough to recognize when that is happening. Our beaches and tourist attractions have been busy this summer and we are anticipating a very busy Independence Day weekend."

In contrast, Port Aransas officials were quick to complain about the effect on tourism and issued a statement casting doubt about whether an Austin man had in fact contracted the disease there last week as opposed to another beach. The community has about 3,500 residents.

SLIDESHOW: Things to know about vibrio vulnificus

Ann Vaughn, director and CEO of Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Bureau, has answered nearly 100 calls from people concerned about the safety of the water. "The news reports that have come out have gone just viral and have all related to him having contracted it in Port Aransas," Vaughn said. "And yes, it is having a negative impact on tourism."

She complained that the public doesn't understand that infections from Vibrio are not unusual. "It may be the first time in their life they have heard about it," Vaughn said. "They may be thinking that Port Aransas is totally infected and I can't go down there."

A warning to others

The most highly publicized case of Vibriosis involved 50-year-old Brian Parrott of Jacinto City, who became seriously ill after swimming in the water during a trip with his son's family to the beach in Galveston on June 12.

Parrott, a diabetic with a weak immune system, went wading on the beach in the Spanish Grant subdivision on western Galveston Island.

When his leg broke out in a rash, his family urged him to go to the hospital, but he thought he would tough it out. He waited four days before going to LBJ hospital in Houston, where his right leg was promptly amputated below the knee. A second operation sheared away an additional 2 inches.

Doctors told Donna Dailey then they were unsure whether her son would survive, but on Tuesday, he was released from the hospital.

Dailey said she hopes her son's experience, chronicled everywhere from People magazine to Britain's Daily Mail, will serve as a warning to others. "We just want people to be careful, especially with their little kids," she said.

Explained: What you need to know about 'flesh-eating' bacteria.

Another person who became sick, 41-year-old Adrian Ruiz of Austin, had gone fishing in Rockport and Port Aransas, where he entered the water. His leg became inflamed and he was taken to Seton Medical Center in Kyle, where he was reported in good condition Tuesday. Hospital official refused to discuss his illness.

The third recent case involved Melody Long, 49, of Greenville, who takes medication that suppresses her immune system. She was fishing and camping at McFaddin Beach in Jefferson County when she became ill. She is recovering after a trip to the hospital.

Common in Texas

Despite the wide coverage, health officials say the bacterial infections are common in Texas and other states with beaches. There have been 28 cases reported so far this year in Texas, 13 of them involving contact with water, said Christine Mann, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Last year 102 cases were reported, 46 involving contact with water.

"There is nothing unusual," Mann said. "Last year we had the highest number since we began tracking it. This year seems more like a typical year."

Nationally, vibriosis causes about 80,000 illnesses annually, 500 hospitalizations and 100 deaths, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 52,000 of these illnesses are believed to be caused by eating contaminated food.

Explore flesh-eating bacteria cases in Texas There have been 28 Vibrio, or flesh-eating bacteria, cases so far this year in Texas. This data is based on where the patients live, not where they contracted the disease.About 43 percent of those cases involved water contact (wound exposure).

In Texas, there were four Vibrio-related deaths last year, but three of those were related to eating food, usually shellfish, contaminated with Vibrio. One Vibrio-related death has been reported this year to the state, but Mann said no details about the cause were available.

Tourists interviewed on Galveston beaches Wednesday were unconcerned. Aimee Donel, 40, of Houston, sat outside a tent she and her three young daughters and godmother had pitched on the sand.

"We assume there is always a level of bacteria in the water," Donel said. "We aren't worried about it and we also aren't worried about alligators or sharks."