The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned a bacteria that causes a rare but serious disease is discovered in water and soil in the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi after two people got infected with Melioidosis, who were living in the area.
In a notice, the US CDC advised Gulf Coast residents, specifically those with certain health conditions, to take precautions against Burkholderia pseudomallei and prevent disease it causes called melioidosis.
Melioidosis is fatal in around 10 to 50 percent of people who are infected across the world, and the disease typically surfaces in tropical and subtropical areas, such as Southeast Asia, Puerto Rico, Northern Ireland, and other parts of Central and South America.
The US CDC noted, the environmental conditions found in the Gulf Coast states have been conducive to the growth of this bacteria. Even though it is a serious disease, the risk to the general population still remains low.
One of the two known cases was found in 2022, and the patients lived in close geographic proximity but were not related to each other. This promoted state health officials and the US CDC to test household products, water, and soil in and around the homes of both patients with their permission.
