A New Orleans father has become the latest in a string of people to succumb to a flesh-eating bacteria that has thus far claimed the lives of nine people.
According to harrowing reports, health authorities up and down the Gulf Coast have issued warnings about the bacteria in question, Vibrio vulnificus, after a spate of infections throughout 2025 that have left four people dead in Louisiana and five in Florida.
Basil Kennedy, from New Orleans, is the most recent victim, having died in hospital on July 21, days after contracting the bacteria on a sailing trip. Vibrio vulnificus is said to thrive in coastal waters.
Basil, 77, is believed to have been infected when he scratched his leg on his trailer as he was launching his boat into the waters outside his Bay S. Louis home. PEOPLE Magazine report that he used hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and covered it with a bandage.
Within three, days, however, Basil began exhibiting worrying symptoms including vomiting, fever, and early signs of septic shock.
He underwent emergency surgery after being admitted to hospital, where surgeons removed the dead tissue. Doctors were then able to determine the aforementioned flesh-eating bacteria as the cause.
Tragically, though, Basil ultimately died of organ failure.
Kay Kennedy Regimbal and Rebekah Kennedy, Basil’s two daughters, are now striving to raise awareness of Vibrio vulnificus.
“While we are grieving the loss of our husband, dad, and grandfather, we do not want this to create fear of the water. Our family has always loved the Gulf Coast and the connection it brings to nature and each other,” Rebekah explained to the Daily Mail. “We are sharing our experience only in the hope that it might help someone else.”
“There doesn’t need to be a fear of the water. There needs to be an education and a knowledge of if you have a cut, if you potentially could have been exposed, if there is a risk, how to handle it and what to do,” Kay added to The Advocate.
“All of our favorite family memories are on the water,” she added. “My dad would be devastated to hear that people fear his most favorite thing in the world.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Vibrio results in an estimated 80,000 illnesses in the US each year. It’s stated that it thrives in warm, coastal waters, and can cause an infection when people have an open wound, including a tattoo, piercing, or cut.
In a recent release, the Louisiana Department of Health revealed that it had noted an “increase” in infections this year, with the current number of cases “higher” than “typically reported”.
Rest in peace, Basil Kennedy.
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