California woman eats undercooked fish, loses her limbs

September 18, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

A California woman had to have all of her limbs amputated after eating a piece of undercooked tilapia that led to a bacterial infection.

Laura Barajas, a 40-year-old mother to a six-year-old son, recently purchased fish from a local market in San Jose and cooked herself dinner. The following day, Barajas began feeling ill.

After she was diagnosed with Vibrio Vulnificus, a dangerous bacterial infection, she was hospitalized. On Sept. 13, she underwent a quadruple amputation.

On Sept. 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory, warning of an increase in Vibrio Vulnificus infections in the United States because of increasing water temperatures.

Vibrio bacteria infect an estimated 80,000 people each year in the United States. Eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters, is the primary cause of the infections. However, the bacteria can also spread through an open wound that comes into contact with salt water.

A coworker of Barajas started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the quadruple amputees medical and personal expenses.

 


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This is very sad, unfortunately people watch cooking shows on TV and see chefs cooking and meals and cooking food until done. You see all those people eating raw steak and other meats. And saying it got to temperature. Lol


Sad story. Sounds like something one might read in National Inquirer. In my opinion, tilapia is trash fish. I only eat wild caught fish.


My understanding is most tilapia is farm raised in Asia or the Far East. I wonder if there is a correlation between farm raised fish and higher risk of bacteria counts as opposed to wild caught seafood?


Safest fish, wild caught Alaskan frozen, fresh local from Morro Bay, or selected canned. Good to be choosy when selecting meats. We have some great local meat producers, best in the world, imho.


Sad story. Don’t eat talapia it’s garbage!


Wow, what a horrible thing to happen. One meal changes her entire life? Devastating!

My prayers for her and her son!