Vibrio vulnificus has been detected for the first time this year along the East Sea coast of North Gyeongsang Province.
The North Gyeongsang Province Institute of Health and Environment found the bacterium in a water sample collected from the East Sea coast on May 18, the provincial government said Sunday. The detection came through the institute's ongoing surveillance program for pathogenic Vibrio bacteria.
From March through November, the institute collects seawater and brackish water twice a month from eight coastal sites in Pohang, Gyeongju, Yeongdeok and Uljin along the East Sea coast. Researchers monitor the distribution of Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus, along with environmental factors such as water temperature and salinity.
Vibrio vulnificus infection can occur through eating raw or undercooked contaminated seafood, or when broken skin comes into contact with contaminated seawater.
Symptoms include acute fever, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.
High-risk individuals — including those with chronic liver disease or diabetes — face a significantly greater risk of infection and death and should take extra precautions.
"Rising seawater temperatures driven by climate change are gradually pushing the bacterium's active season earlier in the year," said Lee Chang-il, head of the institute's infectious disease research division. "We will strengthen Vibrio surveillance and promptly share monitoring results with relevant agencies to do our utmost to prevent infection."
kbj7653@heraldcorp.com
