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| Vibrio vulnificus septicemia is often contracted by eating raw seafood. Yonhap |
By Jung Hae-myoung
Eight people have died this year from vibrio infections while 28 became ill and required hospital treatment.
Thirteen people were infected last year.
The infection, caused by an organism that inhabits coastal waters, occurs mostly in August and September.
Vibrio vulnificus septicemia can result from eating raw or undercooked seafood, especially in people who have compromised immune systems or liver disease.
About 76 percent of cases last year resulted from eating seafood, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDP).
The infection remains dormant for three days before fever, diarrhea and a decrease in blood pressure set in.
It has a fatality rate of 50 percent.
The KCDP urged people to eat cooked seafood and avoid going into the ocean if they have an open wound.
