Jinju City Urges "Thoroughly Cook Seafood" After First Vibrio Sepsis Death of the Year

Infection Can Occur from Eating Contaminated Seafood Raw
or Undercooked

Jinju City in South Gyeongsang Province announced on August 28 that it is urging citizens to take special precautions against Vibrio sepsis following the first death from the disease this year.

The deceased was a man in his 80s who began experiencing symptoms such as leg pain and swelling on August 21. He was admitted to a hospital in Jinju on August 23 and died during treatment. Test results on August 27 confirmed Vibrio sepsis as the cause.

Vibrio sepsis is a third-class notifiable infectious disease caused by infection with Vibrio vulnificus. The bacteria thrive in coastal marine environments such as seawater, mudflats, and seafood, proliferating when seawater temperatures exceed 18°C. For this reason, cases typically begin to appear from May or June each year, with the highest incidence occurring in August and September.

Infection can occur by eating contaminated seafood raw or undercooked, or when broken skin comes into contact with contaminated seawater.

Symptoms include fever, chills, low blood pressure, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, with one-third of cases accompanied by hypotension. In most cases, skin lesions appear on the lower limbs within 24 hours of symptom onset, starting with rashes and swelling, progressing to blisters, and potentially developing into necrotic lesions. Therefore, anyone experiencing these symptoms should seek immediate medical attention at a nearby hospital.

Key preventive measures include: thoroughly cooking seafood; avoiding contact with seawater if you have skin wounds, and washing exposed areas with clean water and soap after contact; storing seafood at or below 5°C whenever possible; and wearing gloves when handling seafood, disinfecting cutting boards and knives after use.

The Jinju City Public Health Center emphasized, "The most important way to prevent Vibrio sepsis is to avoid eating raw or undercooked seafood, crab, or shrimp. Those in high-risk groups, especially individuals with underlying health conditions, should exercise particular caution as the fatality rate is high for them."