Aug. 29 (UPI) -- Officials in Louisiana on Friday confirmed two people have now died after getting sick from eating raw oysters and contracting flesh-eating bacteria.
A total of 22 people have been infected so far this year in Louisiana with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, state health officials said in a statement.
"Vibrio are bacteria that naturally live in certain coastal waters. They are found in higher numbers in May through October, when water temperatures are warmer," a definition by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection states.
The CDC says around a dozen varieties of the bacteria exist, including Vibrio vulnificus, with most people contracting it from eating raw or undercooked shellfish, especially oysters. Humans also can contract the bacteria through open wounds in water.
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