Chills, fever and skin rash: An 81-year-old woman was infected with vibrios on the Baltic Sea coast in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Schwerin – Vacationers are currently increasingly being drawn back to the North and Baltic Seas. However, bacteria from the Vibrio family can multiply there at the high temperatures. An 81-year-old woman from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) became infected with it during her summer vacation.
The elderly woman spent her vacation on the Baltic Sea coast in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – and she will probably remember it for some time to come. Because: The 81-year-old from North Rhine-Westphalia was infected with vibrios there. A spokeswoman for the State Office for Health and Social Affairs (Lagus) confirmed this to the newspaper publisher Schwerin on Thursday (July 7).
Vibrios in the Baltic Sea: an infection with the bacterium is so dangerous
Vibrios are the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus. This occurs naturally in sea and brackish water, mostly when the water temperature is 20 degrees or more. Typical symptoms of a Vibrio infection are chills, diarrhea, fever and skin rash.
However, according to Lagus, the bacterium is not really dangerous for most bathers. Unless the person is older, has an open wound or has a weakened immune system due to previous illnesses. Then “there should be no contact with sea or brackish water,” said the Lagus, according to information from the German Press Agency (dpa) .
- Symptoms of a vibrio infection:
- chills
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- skin rash
The 81-year-old, who became infected with vibrios on the Baltic Sea, was also previously ill. She was taken to a hospital, Lagus said. “An early symptom is local pain, which appears disproportionately strong in view of the visible wound,” reports the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). “Fever, chills and sepsis can also occur. Surgical treatments up to the amputation of limbs can be the result. According to the RKI, serious illnesses can be fatal.
Vibrio Infection: Check the body for inflamed areas after bathing
Lagus did not want to provide any information on exactly which stretch of coast the elderly woman was infected with vibrios. If, after bathing in sea or brackish water, any small wounds or open skin have become infected and if there is severe pain, you should see a doctor, advises the “Centre for Travel Medicine” (CRM). Even in patients at risk, a Vibrio infection can usually be treated successfully in this way.
In the past there were explicit warnings about vibrios in the Baltic Sea. Caution is also advised when bathing in the lake: Small animals can bore into the skin there. (Lea-Sophie Mollus)
