Genevieve Gallagher 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 in August 2026. “Every organ in my body began to fail. I went septic. I was intubated for six days, almost lost my life.”

She’s sharing her story amid a spike in cases of the virulent bacteria: There have been 15 cases of vibrio vulnificus in Florida this year, according to the Florida Department of Health. The bacteria have caused the deaths of a Marion County resident and a Palm Beach County resident.

Vibrio naturally lives in coastal waters, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 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.

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 — often leading to amputations.

In Gallagher’s case, she recalled that she “woke up and a lot of my leg was missing at the bottom.”