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New research from The Ohio State University College of Medicine finds COVID-19 vaccine mandates are highly effective at reducing the spread of the virus and increasing immunity in a university setting. The study, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, found net viral loads among all community members declined after university vaccine requirements went into effect. Masking, isolation and antibodies from getting sick weren’t enough to decrease infection rates. “Before the vaccine was required, the virus was becoming more concentrated in saliva and easier to spread to vulnerable populations like young children and older adults,” said Richard Robinson, principal investigator and associate professor in the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity. “Once the requirements were in place, we saw on average a 100% decrease in virus in saliva and up to 12,000% increase in antibody levels to block its spread.” Researchers looked at data generated as part of The Ohio State University’s COVID monitoring program, which occurred from August 2020 to June 2022. As part of this program, saliva specimens were collected on a weekly basis from asymptomatic students, staff and faculty. More than 850,000 diagnostic COVID tests were performed. “The COVID monitoring program focused on asymptomatic adults for several reasons,” Robinson said. “Asymptomatic infections are more common in young adults, asymptomatic individuals would still spread the virus and the isolation of symptomatic individuals alone wasn’t enough to flatten the curve of COVID infections.” Six Ohio State campuses in Columbus, Newark, Mansfield, Lima, Marion and Wooster participated in the monitoring program. The data found COVID positivity in asymptomatic adults occurred in waves which mirrored the infection rates in the regions surrounding the university campuses and were driven by newly emerging variants such as delta and omicron. “At the time, there was growing concern that college students were creating new waves and peaks in infection when they would return to communities after distance learning and breaks in their education, but that wasn’t the case,” Robinson said. “The rates of infection were already increasing when classes resumed, even in rural areas.” Additionally, researchers explored the causes of breakthrough infections in vaccinated people. They compared the antibody responses of uninfected vaccinated people with those of infected vaccinated people. The study found breakthrough infections in vaccinated people were not due to an absence of antibodies but depend on antibody levels at the time of exposure, the neutralizing ability of the antibodies and the amount of virus to which the person is exposed. Future research will focus on the conditions that make people more resistant to COVID infection. Other researchers involved in this study were Marlena R. Merling, Amanda Williams, Najmus S. Mahfooz, Marisa Ruane-Foster, Jacob Smith, Jeff Jahnes, Leona W. Ayers, Jose A. Bazan, Alison Norris, Abigail Norris Turner, Michael Oglesbee, Seth A. Faith and Mikkel B. Quam.

At least six people have died on the East Coast this summer after being infected with “flesh-eating” bacteria in warming waters. Health officials say two people in Connecticut, one person in New York and three in North Carolina died in July and August from Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially deadly bacterium. The U.S typically sees a handful of deaths in Gulf states, but it’s rare for deaths to be spiking in East Coast states. In response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory to warn doctors, laboratories and public health departments to be on the lookout for these infections. “The sky is not falling, but be careful, pay attention and take it seriously if you have an infection and get it treated,” Dr. Rita Colwell, a microbiologist and marine expert at the University of Maryland at College Park and at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News. Vibrio bacteria cause an estimated 80,000 illnesses each year in the U.S., according to the CDC. In particular, Vibrio vulnificus can lead to life-threatening infections. Between 150 and 200 infections are reported to the CDC every year with about one in five people dying — often within a day or two of becoming ill, the agency said. A Vibrio Vulnificus bacterium. Universal Images Group via Getty Images These bacteria are naturally occurring in saltwater and brackish waters and more abundant in the summer months, between May and October. “Most often than not, this bacterium is going to have a coastal origin, meaning that somebody would visit coastal waters for recreation, they may have a wound or like exposed skin,” Dr. Antarpreet Jutla, an associate professor in the department of environmental engineering science at the University of Florida, told ABC News. “And then these bacteria basically get into those holes and then a person can get infected.” Eating raw or undercooked shellfish such as oysters that live in coastal waters can also increase the risk of an infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus. Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus infection can include fever, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps and watery diarrhea. For those who have a bloodstream infection, symptoms include fever, chills, low blood pressure and blistering skin lesions, For a wound infection, a patient might have redness, pan, swelling, warmth, fever discoloration, and discharge. Those with wound infections can suffer necrotizing fasciitis, which is when the flesh around an open wound dies. Treatment involves antibiotics and replacing liquids lost through diarrhea. Necrotizing fasciitis can sometimes lead to limb amputation. Many of the infections in Connecticut, New York and North Carolina were contracted due to open wounds that were exposed to coastal waters, according to the CDC. Some of the infections were due consuming of raw or undercooked seafood — and other infections had unclear origins. To reduce the risk, health officials recommend people stay out of saltwater and brackish water if they have an open wound. If an open wound does come into contact with this water, wash the wound thoroughly with clean, running water and soap. Additionally, avoid eating or coming into contact with raw shellfish. “If you got cut and it’s healed over, that’s not a problem,” Tessa Getchis, an extension educator with Connecticut Sea Grant & University of Connecticut Extension, told ABC News. “If it’s an open wound, they want to wait until that wound is closed.” She added that it’s not enough to cover the wound with a waterproof bandage and that people with open wounds should avoid the water completely. Jutla said that with more populations settling along the coasts and warming temperatures making coastal waters warmer for longer, it could be an issue in the future. He and a team of researchers at the University of Florida sampled water in the Fort Myers region after Hurricane Ian in 2020 and found “extensive sampling” of Vibrio vulnificus, even after four weeks of sampling. With the recent passing of Hurricane Idalia in southern states, experts say that floodwaters and storm surges may leave an opportunity for people to become infected with Vibrio vulnificus. “If I were in that region, I would not wander around in flooded waters,” Jutla said. “I would be very careful in in in going to sea water coastal waters .”

Topline The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert Friday warning healthcare professionals to be on the lookout for fatal infections of the “flesh-eating bacteria” Vibrio vulnificus, as warmer waters and Hurricane Idalia may cause a spike in cases. Key Facts Vibrio vulnificus can be contracted by eating raw seafood like oysters, or if an open wound comes into contact with raw seafood or its drippings, salt water or brackish water—a mix between fresh and salt water. At least five people died from fatal vibrio infections in New York, Connecticut and North Carolina between July and August, according to the CDC report, while the Florida Department of Health reported 26 cases and five deaths statewide between January and August. There have been three confirmed cases since July 1 in Connecticut: All three patients were hospitalized and between the ages of 60 and 80, while two confirmed they swam in brackish water in Long Island Sound and the third consumed out-of-state raw oysters, though only one died, according to the state Department of Public Health. Only one fatal case was identified in New York while three fatal cases were reported in North Carolina, where two people were exposed to brackish water in North Carolina and another eastern state while the third person was exposed to brackish North Carolina water and ate personally caught seafood, state officials said. The bacteria live in coastal waters, naturally separate from shellfish during hotter months and populate in the warm water, so the CDC advised in its health alert to avoid open water if people have an open wound or cut. Hurricanes, storm surges and floods also increase exposure to the bacteria by bringing the coastal waters inland, like in 2022, when 38 cases and 11 vibriosis-related deaths were reported after Hurricane Ian. What To Watch For Though no vibrio cases have been reported since Hurricane Idalia, Florida Department of Health press secretary Jae Williams told NBC the state began warning residents of potential infection “as soon as the state of emergency was declared.” Crucial Quote “People should consider the potential risk of consuming raw oysters and exposure to salt or brackish water and take appropriate precautions,” Manisha Juthani, the Connecticut Department of Health commissioner said. Big Number 80,000. That’s how many Americans the CDC estimates get a vibrio infection each year, resulting in 100 deaths. Key Background Though anyone can get sick from the bacteria, the elderly and people who have diabetes, HIV, liver disease, thalassemia or cancer are the most at risk of developing severe complications. People who had recent stomach surgery, take medicine to reduce stomach acid and receive immune-supressing therapy also face a risk. Vibrio symptoms include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fever and vomiting. Wound infection symptoms include pain, swelling, redness, discharge, discoloration and warmth. Blood infection symptoms may present as chills, fever, blistering skin infection or dangerously low blood pressure. Though there’s no cure for vibrio infection, antibiotics and other treatments are used to treat skin infection from spreading and other symptoms, like shock. These treatments include fluid drainage, cleaning dead skin from wounds, oxygen therapy, medication for low pressure, intravenous fluids and potential amputation. There’s about a one in four chance a vibrio wound infection will turn fatal, researchers report. Sometimes, infection can turn into necrotizing fasciitis, a severe, “flesh-eating” infection that causes the skin around a wound to die. In other severe cases, vibrio infection can lead to septicemia, a very fatal bloodstream infection that can lead to sepsis, which only has a 50% survival rate. Tangent U.S. vibrio infections on the East Coast have increased over the past 30 years, rising from 10 infections a year in 1988 to 80 in 2018, according to research published in March in Scientific Reports. Infections north of Georgia used to be rare and were typically localized to the southern Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. However, the researchers pointed to warmer weather and an aging population as the causes for an increase in cases on the East Coast. They predicted cases could spike as high as 140 and 200 cases on the East Coast every year by the end of the century. The U.S. experienced a record-breaking summer this year, seeing over 6,500 daily heat records and sometimes fatally hot temperatures. Parts of the North Atlantic ocean witnessed a category four marine heat wave in July, causing periods of unusually extreme temperatures and warm waters. Ocean temperatures were warming up 24% faster last decade compared to previous ones, according to a 2019 study published in Science. Further Reading Flesh-Eating Bacteria Are Migrating Up The East Coast As Climate Change Warms Sea, Scientists Say (Forbes) What Warmer Oceans Mean For The Environment—From Dangerous Storms To Severe Flooding (Forbes) Record-Breaking Summer: Over 6,500 Daily U.S. Heat Records Fell—Here Are The Biggest Ones (Forbes)

A number of cases of flesh-eating Vibrio vulnificus infection has prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a health advisory to doctors, laboratories and health departments to be on the alert for such bacterial infections and to see that treatment is provided quickly. The V. vulnificus bacteria can cause severe wound and foodborne infections. The Washington Post reported that 13 people died recently from V. vulnificus infections, which can come from undercooked shellfish or from contact with the bacteria from open wounds — even very small ones. And the geographic area where the bacteria lurk is spreading, experts say. This year, of confirmed deaths linked to the bacterial infection, seven have been in Florida, three in North Carolina, two in Connecticut and one in New York, the Post reported. “Many of these infections were acquired after an open wound was exposed to coastal waters in those states. Some of these infections were associated with consumption of raw or undercooked seafood or had unclear etiology,” per the CDC. People can also be infected through undercooked shellfish that comes from areas where the bacteria can be found, so the geographic risk is not limited to coastal regions. CNN reported that “during July and August, as the U.S. saw widespread heatwaves and above-average coastal sea surface temperatures,” more people were infected. Diagnosis and treatment must be swift because of the speed with which the infection advances, per the CDC. About Vibrio infections Infections from different species of Vibrio bacteria are common, causing about 80,000 illnesses — most often diarrhea — in the U.S. alone each year. But Vibrio vulnificus is an entirely different story for its ability to cause what the CDC calls “life-threatening infections.” The CDC notes there are about 150-200 of those infections reported each year — and 20% of those infected died, “sometimes within 1-2 days of becoming ill.” Vibrio bacteria naturally live in coastal waters, including salt water. Typically, infections occur when people eat raw or undercooked shellfish. Oysters are especially prone to harboring the bacteria. Infections also occur when an open wound is exposed to salt water or brackish water that harbors Vibrio. An open wound exposed to undercooked or raw seafood can lead to infection, too. “Open wounds include those from a recent surgery, piercing, tattoo, and other cuts or scrapes — including those acquired during aquatic activity. Extreme weather events, such as coastal floods, hurricanes and storm surges, can force coastal waters into inland areas, putting people that are exposed to these waters — especially evacuees who are older or have underlying health conditions — at increased risk for Vibrio wound infections,” the advisory says. LiveScience reported that while infection is more common on the Gulf Coast, “increased coastal sea surface temperatures and widespread heatwaves this summer have coincided with the reported infections across the East Coast. Indeed, rising coastal water temperatures associated with climate change have been previously linked with increasing rates of Vibrio infections.” CDC reported that the range of V. vulnificus infections has spread north about 30 miles a year between 1988 and 2018 as temperatures have increased. And the number of infections in the East has increased eightfold. There are no known cases of person-to-person transmission. Wound infections take off quickly and kill skin and soft tissue, including muscles and nerves. Those infected may need surgery and intensive care. The bacteria have developed some antibiotic resistance, meaning treatment doesn’t always work to kill the bacteria once someone is infected, so prevention is vital. Staying safe To avoid exposure to what can be a deadly infection, the CDC recommends: Stay out of salt water or brackish water if you have any open wound or cut. If you get cut in the water, leave it immediately. If open wounds touch salt water, brackish water, or raw or undercooked seafood, wash them thoroughly with soap and clean running water. Then cover them entirely with a waterproof bandage. Cook raw oysters and other shellfish before eating them. Always wash with soap and water after handling raw shellfish. Seek medical care immediately for infected wounds.