VERNON, Conn. — The Connecticut Department of Public Health issued a stern warning after three people were infected with a flesh-eating bacteria called Vibrio Vulnificus last month.
Two of those people died after they swam at Connecticut beaches and the third person got sick from eating raw oysters out of the state.
Officials said the three people infected were between 60 to 80 years old.
Commissioner Manisha Juthani called this concerning.
"Bacteria like this tend to overgrow and if you have an open wound, you should never be getting into water because there are any number of bacteria that are in the water," said Comm. Juthani of the CT Department of Public Health.
Even though the oysters were eaten out of state, the warning still stands.
"People travel to other states, they may go to other areas of the country," added Juthani.
The Vibrio bacteria in oysters can cause bloodstream infections and wound infections from the waters can lead to a person's limb being amputated.
At Charlie's Fresh Catch in Vernon, the owner, Charles Ballard reassured his customers the shellfish at his business are safe to eat and have been federally inspected.
"There is a great linkage in place in regards to how the government is going to alert us if there’s a problem. Our suppliers will also alert us and our customers will alert us as well," said Ballard.
Being in the seafood industry for decades, Ballard said he will know if he received a bad batch.
"If a shellfish is bad, you can tell by the texture of the shell. A lot of time the shellfish will open because it doesn’t have the muscle to close and it’ll smell off," added Ballard.
His customers said it is all about being smart about where to buy your seafood.
"I eat most of my shellfish cooked. Secondly, like I said, if places you eat them from are trustworthy places, just a little cautious but not overly concerned," said Paul Dattey of South Windsor.
Officials added a Vibrio infection is extremely rare.
It is best for now, to stay out of open waters if you have open wounds and to avoid eating shellfish from out of state.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and X.
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