Paddle-Fishing.com

http://m.clickorlando.com/news/Official ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'll quote just a few parts of the article. Please go read the whole thing when you get a chance.

PALM COAST, Fla. -

Central Florida health officials are warning residents about seawater bacteria after a man died from exposure this week.

Authorities in Flagler and Volusia counties are advising residents to avoid eating raw shellfish and exposing open wounds in seawater.

Yes, it kills people.

Statewide, 29 cases and nine deaths have been linked to the bacteria this year.

9 dead people this year

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium that normally lives in warm seawater and is in the same family as cholera. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Our kayak fishing friends in Texas have been dealing with this for years. I guess it was only a matter of time before it became a big issue in Florida. Learn all you can about this stuff. Take the necessary precautions.

I'm not fishing until the water gets cooler.

Heywood wrote:I'm not fishing until the water gets cooler.

You weren't catching anyway!

Heywood wrote:I'm not fishing until the water gets cooler.

Lots of open sores, Hey-Hey?

22acrowd wrote:

Heywood wrote:I'm not fishing until the water gets cooler.

Lots of open sores, Hey-Hey?

Yeah, don't want your wife getting it either.

I have to say that I read this post and then fished the next day at Cockroach. I was actually thinking about changing locations, but then I thought I was being a bit paranoid. If I had open cuts on my hands, feet and legs...I may have canceled my outing. I certainly did not wade as much as I usually do.

Don't want to "get it" from your wife either!

Another East coast fatality

Scary stuff. Infected and died in just under 3 days. Supposedly people with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk.

from Another East coast fatality http://tbo.com/health/31-in-fla-infecte ... -20131011/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

While such occurrences could potentially concern officials in states with hundreds of miles of coastline and economies largely dependent on ocean-related tourism, experts say the bacteria is nothing most people should worry about. Vibrio bacteria exist normally in salt water and generally only affect people with compromised immune systems, they say. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. If the bacteria get into the bloodstream, they provoke symptoms including fever and chills, decreased blood pressure and blistering skin wounds.

But there’s no need to stop swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, says Diane Holm, a spokeswoman for the state health department in Lee County, which has had a handful of cases that included one fatality this year.

“This is nothing abnormal,” she said. “We don’t believe there is any greater risk for someone to swim in the Gulf today than there was yesterday or 10 years ago.”

Now its 30 people infected in Florida this year, with 10 fatalities.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/10/1 ... alt-water/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seems most of the cases I have heard of in the past are inland bays and bayous during the warm months. Unfortunately that's the places and time of year most of us enjoy kayak fishing. Since I never heard of this while growing up here, I'm guessing this bacteria could be the result of more pollution and less tidal flow or flushing in these areas due to dredging, bridges, and loss of sea grass.
One suggestion might be breathable waders when fishing these backwaters areas. They are certainly not as comfortable as shorts, but Cabela's has the waist high breathable that are pretty good. If you wear shorts you might keep a bottle of alcohol back at the car to rub on your legs and feet. Don't know it this would stop an infection, but it might and it only cost a few cents and takes a couple of minutes. Another thought might be carrying some peroxide and crazy glue for any small cuts that you get while on the water. And if you throw a cast net for bait this time of year, you might want to throw the lead line over your shoulder rather than holding it in your teeth.
Its a jungle out there.