Is the water safe to swim in around Anna Maria Island? What the locals know about why you shouldn't panic...
Click HERE Details: I cannot count the number of questions I've received, from soon to be travelers to ask about the local status of "flesh eating bacteria" What they are really referring to are reports of Vibrio Vulnificus infections, or Vibriosis, a rare bacterial infection that can be contracted from eating raw or under-cooked seafood, or from exposing fresh open wounds to warm salt water. Vibrio vulnificus is not the same thing as Necrotising Faciitis which can be caused by many strains of bacteria, including Vibrio Vulnificus. Vibrio Vulnificus infections happen only rarely, with two confirmed cases in Manatee county residents in 2016, zero in 2015, and one in 2014, according to the Florida department of health. Of these there were no deaths. So while we are all far more likely to expire from a car accident, or even the flu, than from a Vibrio Vulnificus infection, there are still some precautions we can take. People with weakened immune syste