The bacteria is Vibrio Vulnificus, and here's a link to an article from last month, "New York State Department releases guidance after 3 dead from flesh-eating bacteria in New York, Connecticut."
I think the problem with swimming and tattoos refers only to recent tattoos, in their healing phase. It would be quite something if getting tattooed represented a decision never to go swimming again.
Meanwhile, the woman who lost all her limbs merely encountered fish, and it's not enough to avoid eating raw or undercooked fish. You have to worry about handling raw fish. Wear gloves.
Posts
15 comments:
let me get this Straight?
Ann Althouse thinks you need to wear gloves when handling fish.. NOT wear gloves if you have a cut or a new tattoo?
AND, Ann says this; because (and i QUOTE) Meanwhile, the woman who lost all her limbs merely encountered fish
From the ACTUAL article:
Barajas has been in the hospital for over a month when she fell ill after eating undercooked fish.
SO.. FROM THE ACTUAL ARTICLE.. she Didn't "merely encounter" a fish.. she ATE UNDERCOOKED fish
Also from the article: it’s a particularly concerning infection for those with weak immune systems.
Be afraid!!! Be VERY AFRAID!!!
from the earlier article:
the health department cautioned those with compromised immune systems to avoid eating raw or undercooked shellfish, such as oysters, which can carry the bacteria.
Wear gloves when handling raw shellfish and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water when finished.
So, IF you have a compromised immune systems.. You should avoid raw or undercooked shellfish..
As i learned in a book (it was a Good Book, full of Good News).. Shellfish are NOT fish; and, in FACT:
You should NOT EVER eat them (Lev 11:11)
A friend of ours got the vulnificus bug after he rolled his kayak and got scraped on the barnacles on some rocks. He got a fresh liver out of the experience. He was already immune compromised from Hep C and the treatments. I, on the the other hand, have spent a near lifetime handling fish, boating, climbing on rocks near shore, and have suffered countless cuts, scrapes and fish spine sticks, without infections, except for a catfish spine stick and cayman bites that got infected while I was working in a tropical fish store in high school.
Vibrio is a real threat, but like many, it's been over hyped.
A slightly bigger threat is "fish handlers disease" caused by a Mycobacterium, the same genus as leprosy and TB. The bug is endemic in Striped Bass, and I know several people who have had it. Unlike Vibrio, it's a slow creeping infection, usually in the hands, and like leprosy and TB, curable with antibiotics, but it takes a long time.
I recommend disposable food service gloves. Cheap - single use. Keeps the food off of your hands and your hands off of the food. Prevent cross-contamination. When prepping meals for the week I'll go through 10+ of these. They don't fit well and can feel awkward, but you get used to them. Half a penny a piece.
I even use them when eating pizza (etc.) during business hours, so if I get a call I can take it off in one second and get to it.
Never keep a fish with tattoos. Just throw it back and get the hell out of there.
Especially if it has a Hell's Angels or a Mongols tattoo.
She didn't "almost" lose her life. She lost it. It's over.
Those doctors should have given her a fatal dose of morphine and walked away. Nobody wants to be sentenced to a life as a floor mat without their consent.
And spare me the "do no harm" BS from the same people who perform abortions.
I hope that whatever recent tattoos she had were on her trunk, otherwise it would be total waste of money.
Too soon?
A fisherman friend of mine once said he never eats tilapia as they are a bottom-feeder and eat shit all day.
I have avoided them ever since.
That and tattoos...
It is pretty obvious that nearly all people are immune to the more severe effects of this particular bacterium. This lady is just one of the unfortunate few whose immune system isn't effective at fighting it.
It would be quite something if getting tattooed represented a decision never to go swimming again.
It depends on how ugly the tattoo is.
"SO.. FROM THE ACTUAL ARTICLE.. she Didn't "merely encounter" a fish.. she ATE UNDERCOOKED fish"
What's up with your goofball orthography? Are you trying to look drunk?
I said "encounter," and to eat something is to encounter it. Why would you lose you mind? I know, for you, going all caps is practically meaningless, but must you kick off the comments with random hysteria? Did YOU eat something OFF???
"It depends on how ugly the tattoo is."
It also depends upon how a person looks in a bathing suit...
There's a big difference between 'encountering' and 'eating.'
From what is available to read it sounds like they are guessing at the bacterial cause. Was there a clear identification of the bacteria? Looks more like sepsis related gangrene. Was her condition recognized and treated properly and in a timely manner? Horrible situation.
At any rate, my recent experiences with hospitals is overwhelmingly negative. Situations out of the ordinary must to progress to severity before being recognized and treated.
The 80/20 rule, or a facsimile, doesn't apply well to the practice of medicine. At least not for the patient.
Any idiots out there using Tilapia - an aquarium fish - for fish tacos, COME ON DOWN!
The article is maddeningly short on details and explanations. It does NOT state that the tilapia was undercooked; merely that she purchased and cooked it herself. It does NOT say that she herself was in any way unhealthy or immunocompromised and therefore especially vulnerable to this bacteria.
It's very sad. I don't know if I would want to live with that sort of handicap, but she has a six-year-old daughter and I think as a mother you have to try and make it through for the sake of your child.
Post a Comment