2 people dead after getting flesh-eating bacteria from eating raw oysters, Louisiana officials say

Two people have died from eating raw oysters that were contaminated with a flesh-eating bacteria, Louisiana health officials said.

Vibrio vulnificus is a bacteria that occurs in warm coastal waters. It is more common between May and October. The bacteria can cause illness when an open wound is exposed to contaminated waters, or when a person eats raw or undercooked seafood. Oysters are particularly risky, state health officials said in a July news release .

The bacteria can cause life-threatening necrotizing fasciitis, which may result in limb amputation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . About one in five people with a Vibrio vulnificus infection die, the CDC said.

There have been 22 cases of Vibrio vulnificus infection in Louisiana residents, the state