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San Jose Woman Loses Limbs Battling Bacterial Infection From Tilapia
KRON4 ^ | Sep 16, 2023 | Dan Thorn

Posted on 09/17/2023 12:46:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway

There’s a warning about a dangerous bacteria that might have infected a local woman who’s still recovering after nearly two months in the hospital. An online fundraising effort says she contracted the bacterial infection after eating fish and is now a quadruple amputee.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a warning about a bacterial infection that people can get by eating raw or undercooked fish or by exposing an open wound to coastal waters. A friend tells us this San Jose woman likely got this specific infection after eating undercooked tilapia.

A San Jose mother’s life is changed forever. Laura Barajas, 40, has had her limbs amputated while battling a bacterial infection.

“It’s just been really heavy on all of us. It’s terrible. This could’ve happened to any of us,” said Barajas’ friend Anna Messina.

Messina says back in late July Barajas had bought tilapia from a local market for dinner. She cooked it and ate it alone. Within days, she got very ill and was then hospitalized.

“She almost lost her life. She was on a respirator,” Messina said. “They put her into a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black her bottom lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing.”

Now, a month and a half later, Barajas is without her arms and legs.

Messina believes the infection was caused by Vibrio vulnificus — a bacterial infection the CDC has been warning about.

“The ways you can get infected with this bacteria are one-you can eat something that’s contaminated with it the other way is by having a cut or tattoo exposed to water in which this bug lives,” said UCSF Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode.

Spottiswoode says the bacteria is especially concerning for people who are immunocompromised.

The CDC says about 150-200 cases of the infections are reported each year and about one in five people with the infection die — sometimes within one to two days of becoming ill.

Salesforce CEO: Why can’t SF be ‘clean and safe’ every day? “People should take sensible precautions like if you have a cut avoid getting immersed in water until it’s well healed,” Spottiswoode said. “If you are someone immunocompromised keeping an eye on these things and avoiding those high-risk activities and foods.”

Messina says she and Barajas’ family are still waiting to learn more about what happened. She hopes people realize how precious life can be.

“Be thankful for what we have right now because it can be taken away so quickly so easily,” Messina said.

Messina has set up a GoFundMe to help with her friend’s medical expenses. So far, it has raised more than $20,000.


TOPICS: Food; Health/Medicine; Local News
KEYWORDS: bacteria; fish; tilapia
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A lot of tilapia is either farmed in China, or farmed here, and sent to China for processing.
1 posted on 09/17/2023 12:46:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Sushi = under cooked.


2 posted on 09/17/2023 12:48:57 PM PDT by Fai Mao (Starve the beast and steal its food!)
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To: nickcarraway
undercooked tilapia

Was there no polonium available?

3 posted on 09/17/2023 12:57:42 PM PDT by rhinohunter (“Being woke means you’re a loser” — Donald J. Trump)
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To: nickcarraway

Salesforce CEO: Why can’t SF be ‘clean and safe’ every day?
**************
Is that really part of the story? He might as well ask “Why can’t SF be ‘clean and safe’ ANY day?”
And he should ask the local deuce-droppers that question.


4 posted on 09/17/2023 12:58:31 PM PDT by Honest Nigerian
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To: Fai Mao

Tilapia is not in sushi. But i will never eat tilapia again..even before this story.


5 posted on 09/17/2023 12:58:47 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: nickcarraway

Wear a mask.


6 posted on 09/17/2023 1:00:36 PM PDT by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: nickcarraway

I’ve seen trout farmed.
Fed some kind of fish food in a stream.
Fenced from going up or downstream.

Tilapia were on the other side of the fence where they could eat what came out of the trout.
Haven’t eaten it since.
Enjoy!


7 posted on 09/17/2023 1:01:31 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (Fraud vitiates everything)
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To: Ann Archy

Yes it is.

https://www.quora.com/Can-you-make-sushi-with-tilapia


8 posted on 09/17/2023 1:01:52 PM PDT by Fai Mao (Starve the beast and steal its food!)
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To: nickcarraway

Reportedly some tilapia raised in China are fed animal feces and/or treated with antibiotics. Which animal feces? I don’t know. Antibiotics may allow resistant organisms to be growing in meat. Undercooked meat may not kill all the bacteria. General rule, avoid Chinese prepped or grown tilapia...cook fish well...


9 posted on 09/17/2023 1:03:57 PM PDT by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and harder to find.)
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To: Ann Archy

Same here. Horrific story…


10 posted on 09/17/2023 1:06:04 PM PDT by nutmeg
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To: Fai Mao

Bingo.

Uncooked food has been known to be a health hazard for......thousands of years?? Especially protein.

All you sushi lovers — you deserve what you get.

As to where the food comes from, so what? Are our food inspections/certifications worthless? Looks like a YUP. Eat local or farmed in the US.


11 posted on 09/17/2023 1:06:49 PM PDT by bobbo666 (Baizuo)
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To: Fai Mao

My husband eats sushi all the time....hes never heard of tilapia in it.


12 posted on 09/17/2023 1:09:50 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: Ann Archy

Tried tilapia years ago. Didn’t care for it at all. No thanks.


13 posted on 09/17/2023 1:12:32 PM PDT by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing)
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

“Tilapia were on the other side of the fence where they could eat what came out of the trout.
Haven’t eaten it since.
Enjoy!”

Same with catfish. I stay away from eating bottom feeding critters.


14 posted on 09/17/2023 1:14:00 PM PDT by wjcsux (On 3/14/1883 Karl Marx gave humanity his best gift, he died. )
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To: bobbo666

FDA doesn’t inspect fish or seafood.


15 posted on 09/17/2023 1:18:34 PM PDT by Smellin Salt
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To: Getready

General rule, avoid Chinese prepped or grown food.

FTFY


16 posted on 09/17/2023 1:21:25 PM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: nickcarraway

Yeah I won’t eat tilapia.

It’s high in omega 6’s and low in omega 3’s which makes it unhealthy.

But most of it is farmed in China in what amounts to cess pools.

No thanks.


17 posted on 09/17/2023 1:25:09 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: nickcarraway

Only wild caught salmon for me, even if processed in China.


18 posted on 09/17/2023 1:28:14 PM PDT by libh8er
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To: hellinahandcart

Holy infection, Batman!


19 posted on 09/17/2023 1:31:17 PM PDT by sauropod (I will stand for truth even if I stand alone.)
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To: Ann Archy
My husband eats sushi all the time....hes never heard of tilapia in it.

My dog had a similar problem. You might think about using a shaming sign.


20 posted on 09/17/2023 1:31:21 PM PDT by fireman15 (Irritating people are the grit from which we fashion our pearl. I provide the grit. You'e Welcome.)
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