You have heard that you should wait two hours after eating before taking a swim – right?
Well, did you know that if you get a tattoo, you should wait about two weeks before going into a body of water or a pool?
A Hispanic man decided to take a swim in the Gulf of Mexico five days after getting a tattoo, the area became infected, he developed fever and a rash and later died!
Image Credit: BMJ Case Reports
At the hospital, the doctors determined that the illness he contracted was caused by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria.
The man also had cirrhosis of the liver caused by heavy drinking.
The man was more vulnerable to the illness because his liver was weakened by disease.
Image Credit: BMJ Case Reports
Despite being given antibiotics, he was soon placed on life support, and his organs failed.
The man held on for about two weeks and was finally well enough to go home.
The Daily Mail reported that a few weeks later, his kidneys failed and he died.
Image Credit: BMJ Case Reports
The condition caused by the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria causes a condition called vibrosis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), this bacterium causes 80,000 illnesses and about 100 deaths each year in the United States.
Image Credit: Pexels
You can contract the illness by consuming undercooked or raw seafood as well as exposing a wound to seawater.
Symptoms which can start within 24 hours and last three days include fever, abdominal cramping, chills, and vomiting.
The CDC, reports that severe illness is a rare thing, but can occur in people with weakened immune systems.
Share away, people.