A Florida mom contracted flesh-eating bacteria after swimming with a cut and nearly lost her life<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Vibrio bacteria infections are surging, with two recent deaths in Florida and risks tied to open wounds in water<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
Experts warn against swimming with cuts or recent tattoos as the bacteria can cause severe infections and amputations<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A woman who lost “a lot of [her] leg” after being exposed to the flesh-eating bacteria<\/a> vibrio vulnificus<\/a> is warning others to take precautions before going swimming.<\/p>\n Genevieve Gallagher<\/a> was infected after swimming with a cut on her leg during a boat day with her family in July 2025. Days later, “I was taken back for immediate surgery, where my body began to shut down,” the Pensacola, Fla., mom told Fox 35<\/a> in August 2026. “Every organ in my body began to fail. I went septic. I was intubated for six days, almost lost my life.”\u00a0<\/p>\n She’s sharing her story amid a spike in cases of the virulent bacteria: There have been 15 cases<\/a> of vibrio vulnificus in Florida<\/a> this year, according to the Florida Department of Health<\/a>. The bacteria have caused the deaths of a Marion County resident between the ages of 60 and 64, and a Brevard County resident between 10 and 14 years old.<\/p>\n Vibrio naturally lives in coastal waters, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>. The majority of people are sickened by it after eating raw or undercooked shellfish, namely oysters, because the bacteria will “concentrate” inside the shellfish. However, it can cause an infection if a swimmer has an open wound, recent tattoo or piercing.<\/p>\n The bacteria can cause flu-like symptoms like fever, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. But it’s earned the nickname “flesh-eating bacteria” because it causes the skin around the cut where it enters the body to die. The only treatment is to remove the skin \u2014 often leading to amputations.<\/p>\n In Gallagher’s case, she recalled that she “woke up and a lot of my leg was missing at the bottom.”<\/p>\n “If you have any open cuts at all, like mosquito bites that are open you’ve scratched. Do not shave the night before you go in the water,” she told Fox 35. “Just anything. It’s so\u00a0serious and you can get it. You can get it. So do not take that chance [with] your life.”\u00a0<\/p>\n A beach day, she says, is “not worth it.” \u00a0<\/p>\n Stock image of Vibrio under a microscope Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine<\/a> to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more \u2014 right to your mailbox.<\/p>\n “This will turn your life upside-down,” Gallagher told KKTV<\/a> in August 2026. “I lost so much of my left leg below my kneecap, it’s unbelievable the amount of trauma I’ve been through.”<\/p>\n![\"Stock](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/ffd5841fa467f2c38809a6c7140a71e2.jpg\"\/)
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Credit: Smith Collection\/Gado\/Getty<\/p>\n