A Virginia father waded into calf-high water and died two weeks later when flesh-eating bacteria ravaged his legs.
Now scientists just found the same bacteria thriving in the bays and ponds of the Hamptons – and the wealthy elites who vacation there have no idea.
If you’re planning to swim anywhere on the East Coast this summer, there’s something in the water that nobody warned you about.
Scientists Found It in Sagaponack – One of the Most Expensive Zip Codes in America
Stony Brook University professor Christopher Gobler just released research that identified flesh-eating bacteria hot spots in several New York estuaries – specifically Sagaponack Pond and Mecox Bay on Long Island’s South Fork.
Sagaponack ranks among the three most expensive zip codes in the entire United States.
The bacteria is called Vibrio vulnificus.
It used to be a Florida and Gulf Coast problem.
Not anymore.
New York waters have been warming at three times the global average during summer over the past 20 years.
Wonder if DOGE ■■■■■■ this one up like they did the screwworm fly, was really funny watching them talk about cutting the funding on fly mating research only to watch our Cattle Industry get screwed by the same fly.
There is literally a direct correlation between the cutting of funds for research and pest management of the screwworm fly and the outbreak we are watching happen within the US. Like it or not, there is a reason we had these programs and ending them is showing why. Everyone laughed when Elon talked about ending the research on flies mating, nobody asked why that research took place which was because we were creating male screwworm flies who could not procreate which kept our cattle protected for over 20 years.
Zero correlation between funding cut that happened less than a year ago and current issues, WTF did they do with the decades of funding before that? The screwworm has been getting dealt with for over a decade, it is being hyped now to get that taxpayer money and to manipulate the beef market to beyond the ridiculous prices they’re at now. Yet another “benefit” from importing the third world.
I sailed NY, CT, RI and MA waters from 1973. ‘til I sold my last sailboat boat around 2015. It was pretty eye opening seeing how quickly the waters changed, in my case seeing formerly good mud bottom anchorages become seaweed gardens. I saw warm water seeking jellyfish show up in new areas, last straw was when they hit Block Island. Beaches started getting crappier, more seaweed, more jellyfish, man o’ war showing up, the more protected beaches getting some nasty crap growing in the shallow water. I had some land along the Caloosahatchee River in FL, noted red tide arriving earlier and earlier each year. The waters in Long Island, Gardeners Bay, Coecles Harbor, 3 mile harbor, Greenport etc. are quite shallow with a high population and boating density which explains their warmth. Great cruising area, it was anyways. Most everything got way too crowded for my taste over time.
I moved to the forest. Hot as hades today, but at least mother nature’s bacterial warfare is minimal here. Thanks, Trump
The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT): In the 1950s, the USDA developed an innovative approach to biological pest control. By mass-rearing male flies, sterilizing them with radiation, and releasing them into the wild, the wild females—which only mate once—produced no offspring. This ultimately led to the complete eradication of the screwworm in the United States by 1966.Recent ResurgenceGeographic Barrier Breach: For decades, the U.S. and Panama maintained a biological barrier at the Darién Gap to prevent the flies from moving northward. However, this containment was breached in 2022, and the screwworm population steadily migrated northward through Central America and into Mexico.Current Status: Following the parasite’s northward trek, U.S. agriculture officials confirmed a New World screwworm infection in a South Texas calf—marking the first domestically detected U.S. case in decades.
He was younger than he looked. He tried raising flesh eating bacteria for awhile and was unfortunately successful. Gave that up for the screw worms, then sold the farm when they became a proprietary Panamanian product. The farm became grounds for a data center…and here we are!
Slightly back on topic, I still follow CT news as I lived there 60 years. Noted they close the public beaches now if there’s more than 3/10 of an inch of rain , due to all the nastiness in the runoff.
I had a drop of rain go in my ear in 2019 while out running. I remember feeling it in my eardrum. I’m real sure that’s what caused the nearly immediate skin, skull, mastoid, jaw and spine infection. Got mis diagnosed , mis medicated, still cost $8k to nearly die, before going with home remedies of colloidal silver and olive leaf extract which cured me and kept me away from do doctors ever since.I recall reading about how much bacteria there can be iin rainwater, can’t recall the number but it was shocking.. Speaking of shocking, I’ll be shocking the pool tonight
In this case you cannot blame one source for the rising beef prices. There are several contributing factors.
The smallest herd in over 75 years is driven by years of drought; high ranching operating costs, including those damn flies and labor; and strong consumer demand. These factors have forced ranchers to reduce herd sizes, causing supply to lag behind demand for popular products like ground beef. I do not believe for one second that the fat bastard knowingly had anything to do with it; after all, he loves to shovel that shiat in his face.
Now back to the topic.
Scientists believe the rise in flesh-eating bacteria (specifically Vibrio vulnificus) is primarily driven by climate change, which is increasing ocean temperatures and expanding the bacteria’s habitat. Warmer waters allow the bacteria to thrive and move farther north along the East Coast, causing infections to rise in new regions. Stronger hurricanes and storms, associated with climate change, increase the likelihood of human exposure through coastal flooding.
So I say if you do not believe in the whole climate change B.S., then please by all means jump in and enjoy the water.
Climate change is cyclical and natural due to a multitude of environmental factors, most of which were here millennia before the industrial revolution.
Very true, @Ron43xMOS. It is why I find it hard to believe people would deny it is taking place. What is up for debate is our effect on accelerating it. Wherever you find yourself on this debate, I would find it a little naive to think we have not had an effect on it. To what extent again is up for debate. It is hard to get facts out of someone with a political agenda.
