BATON ROUGE — A fifth person has died in the state from a flesh-eating bacteria that naturally lives in coastal waters, the Louisiana Department of Health said. 

Vibrio vulnificus infections and deaths are significantly higher this year than in previous years on record, LDH said. This year alone, there have been 26 cases of infection among Louisiana residents. All of these resulted in hospitalization. 

During the same time period over the previous 10 years, an average of 10 Vibrio vulnificus cases and one death were reported annually in Louisiana, LDH added.

Vibrio are bacteria that naturally live in coastal waters and are found in higher numbers from May to October. Vibrio bacteria can cause illness when an open wound is exposed to coastal waters, as well as when infected seafood, including oysters, is eaten.

Of the 26 cases in Louisiana, 85% reported wound or seawater exposure, and 24 of the 26 are reported to have at least one underlying health condition, LDH said. 

To date, Louisiana and Florida have seen the greatest number of the 150 to 200 cases reported nationwide.