When Hurricane Ian made landfall in October 2022, wind, tornados, flooding, and fires weren’t the only devastations to occur. Floridians were also hit by “flesh-eating bacteria”, Vibrio vulnificus. This bacterium feeds off humans by opening up red blood cells to steal the iron, and by using enzymes to break down our soft tissue into the amino acids they need.
Vibrio vulnificus has a closely related sibling bacteria that causes cholera. Cholera is usually transmitted through ingesting infected water and the contaminant is invariably undetectably tiny amounts of fecal matter. The bacteria can also make its way in through open cuts and wounds.
Unfortunately, this new bacterial threat behaves the same way. It’s on US soil and it is claiming lives.
Boiling our drinking water kills the harmful pathogens. But extensive cholera studies show that the greatest infected areas are food preparation/kitchen, bathrooms, and next to the bed. These surfaces that are not adequately disinfected and so the disease spreads, invisible to the naked eye. Standard disinfectants like bleach are effective, but the challenge as always is applying it to every square inch of every room, every day, or even every few hours.
West Florida’s Lee County has 29 cases with four deaths so far from Hurricane Ian. With state wide cases now reaching 60+ with 11 deaths as of October 19th, 2022. This is the state's highest total since Hurricane Irma in 2017 caused 50 cases and 11 deaths. The spread accelerated dramatically when sewage spilled into flooding waters during both storms. Many of those cases required amputations (to remove the now dead tissue), intensive care, and delivered a death rate of 1 in 5 - many dying within two days of contraction.
The best way to stop the spread of such diseases is better hygiene, especially during such environmental catastrophes. The EPIC iO AURA™ transforms the air in an unoccupied room into a disinfecting atmosphere, which reduces the spread of these bacteria throughout our healthcare systems and our everyday environments. Running silently overnight in a healthcare space, public transport, restaurant, school, or any shared space, we can help reduce the chances of infection.
