Deaths from a “flesh-eating” bacterium have risen to seven in the United States this year after five deaths were reported in Louisiana and one new death in Florida, both states on the Gulf Coast, where authorities are urging caution when entering the sea with open wounds or eating shellfish. 7 people have died after being infected with Vibrio vulnificus, a flesh-eating bacteria that contaminates water and seafood. The Trump administration cut mandatory public health reporting of Vibrio vulnificus last year. About one in five people with a Vibrio vulnificus infection dies, sometimes one or two days after becoming ill,” the LHD warned in a statement. Between 150 and 200 infections from this specific bacterium are reported nationwide each year, particularly in states near the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).