Cases of Flesh-Eating Bacteria , Expected to Rise , as Oceans Continue to Warm.<br />NBC reports that potentially deadly infections from <br />a flesh-eating bacteria could increase as climate <br />change continues to warm the world's oceans.<br />NBC reports that potentially deadly infections from <br />a flesh-eating bacteria could increase as climate <br />change continues to warm the world's oceans.<br />According to a study published in 'Scientific Reports,' <br />infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus on the East Coast <br />of the United States could double in the next two decades.<br />The study suggests that warmer sea temperatures allow the bacteria to thrive in waters where it has never been able to survive in before.<br />NBC reports that the findings <br />highlight the connection between <br />human health and the health of the planet. .<br />There are these complex interactions <br />between the environment and agents <br />of disease, and it’s important to <br />be aware of the way the world is <br />changing and how these changes <br />are driving risks to human health. , Elizabeth Archer, lead author of the study and postgraduate <br />researcher at the University of East Anglia, via NBC.<br />According to the researchers behind the study, V. vulnificus <br />responds to minor shifts in temperature, making it , "a sort of barometer of what’s going on in coastal <br />areas because it is so environmentally sensitive.”.<br />The team projects that the bacteria will <br />continue to advance further northward up the <br />coast, eventually reaching New York by the 2040s.<br />Dr. Louise Ivers, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, points out that while V. vulnificus infections are very rare, they are also devastating.<br />NBC reports that such infections are both difficult and <br />expensive to treat, with one study finding that V. vulnificus <br />treatments cost an estimated $28 million per year. .<br />NBC reports that such infections are both difficult and <br />expensive to treat, with one study finding that V. vulnificus <br />treatments cost an estimated $28 million per year. .<br />Sometimes the rarest of illnesses <br />can cost the most to the health care<br />system, especially if they’re unexpected <br />and very aggressive, Dr. Louise Ivers, director of the Harvard <br />Global Health Institute, via NBC
