US Beach Bacteria Infections Prompt Warnings, India Risk Assessed

There is a tiny germ called Vibrio vulnificus that lives in warm ocean water and places where rivers meet the sea.

Doctors sometimes call it a 'flesh-eating' bacteria because it can hurt skin very badly.

In the state of Louisiana in the United States, nine people got sick from this germ this year, and five of them died.

People usually catch it when dirty water touches a cut or scrape on their skin.

They can also get sick from eating raw or not-well-cooked shellfish like oysters.

The germ can make a wound turn red, swollen, hot and very painful, and it can give people a fever.

India has very long coastlines, and many people there work near the sea, so they could come into contact with this germ too.

But right now, India does not have a big outbreak like Louisiana.

To stay safe, people should not go into seawater with open cuts and should wash any cuts with soap and clean water.

People should also make sure their seafood is cooked well before eating it.