A Florida father is fighting for his life after contracting a flesh-eating bacterial infection that left his leg covered in giant, bursting blisters, his family has revealed. Ben West, 38, was infected with Vibrio vulnificus after crabbing and mullet fishing with his family in Port St. Joe on August 23, according to a GoFundMe page and local news reports.
Three days later, West became confused and disoriented, and his fiancée, Janie Knowles, took him to hospital, where he was diagnosed. “Big blisters started popping up, like it was trying to leave the leg... he said ‘it’s the most excruciating pain I’ve ever felt in my life’,” Knowles told WJHG. The infection caused his leg to swell to four times its normal size, with blisters bursting and spreading from the ankle to the calf.
Vibrio vulnificus is a rare but fast-spreading bacterium that thrives in warm seawater and can kill within days, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. West also suffered kidney and liver failure as a result of the infection. He has undergone four surgeries so far, with more expected, including skin grafts. Doctors are confident the progression has stopped, but warn of a long recovery.
A GoFundMe page to cover medical bills had raised nearly $17,000 as of Tuesday. West’s family is urging caution when swimming in local waters. His father, Keith West, warned: “When I tell you that this disease, if you’re wrong, it will kill you... you’re going to have to make up your own mind if it’s worth it.”
Vibrio vulnificus infections are most common along the Gulf Coast from May to October. Florida has reported 23 confirmed cases this year, with five deaths, compared to 82 cases and 19 deaths last year.
