Ummmm, I'm thinking my days of wading in the ocean are over... "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water" -- tagline from Jaws2.
‘Only a matter of time’: Warming ocean water will make #FleshEatingBacteria that infected #CapeCod swimmer more common
By Sabrina Shankman Globe
August 15, 2025
"News that a Cape Cod swimmer contracted an infection from a bacteria that can cause a flesh-eating disease earlier this month has stunned many across #Massachusetts, but it was no surprise to David Hamer, an infectious disease expert at Boston University.
" 'It’s been sort of only a matter of time,' said Hamer, who helps lead work on #ClimateChange and emerging diseases at the university.
"The infection was caused by a #VibrioVulnificus — a bacteria that thrives in warm water and is more commonly found in areas like the Gulf Coast. Other bacteria in the Vibrio family, including those that cause cholera and acute gastroenteritis, similarly thrive in warm water.
"That’s where climate change comes in, making #NewEngland waters friendlier for the potentially deadly bacteria. 'With warmer water temperatures moving further north, it allows Vibrios to survive, during summer months in particular, at higher latitudes than it had previously,' said Hamer.
"And the water is warmer. Midsummer ocean temperatures were about 2.75 degrees warmer in the period from 2021 to 2025 than they were 20 years ago, according to data from an ocean temperature monitor in #WoodsHole, near where the swimmer contracted the virus."
Read more:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/15/science/flesh-eating-bacteria-cape-swimmer-climate/
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/fYq6R
#WarmingOceans #Vibrio #GlobalWarming #OceansAreLife #WaterIsLife #ClimateCrisis #ADayAtTheBeach?