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1 Dead, 1 Sickened From Flesh-Eating Bacteria

SARASOTA (CBSMiami/AP) – One person has died and another person fell ill when they contracted a flesh-eating bacteria which can be found in warm salt water.

Sarasota County health officials issued a warning against eating raw oysters and exposing open wounds to coastal and inland waters after two Sarasota people contracted vibrio vulnificus.

Both people, according to officials, were middle-aged and had medically compromising conditions.

Officials said Tuesday that 11 cases were reported statewide in 2014 and 41 cases in 2013.

Vibrio is an infection caused by a bacteria found in warm salt water. It's in the same family of bacterium that causes cholera.

The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria occur naturally in coastal waters, especially in the summer months. Symptoms include stomach illness, fever or shock after eating raw seafood — especially oysters — or a wound infection after exposure to seawater or brackish water.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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