The authorities have therefore alerted the country’s doctors and asked them to be vigilant in the face of possible symptoms of this disease in patients.
Two people living in the southern United States in the Gulf of Mexico region contracted the disease independently in 2020 and 2022, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to take these swabs in and near theirs to take houses. Three samples, soil and puddles, tested positive for the bacterium (Burkholderia pseudomallei).
The risk to the population “remains low”
Despite everything, the CDC considers the risk to the general population to be “very low.” They are currently investigating how widespread the bacterium is in the environment.
The symptoms of melioidosis can be wide-ranging, such as: B. fever, joint pain or headache. It can cause pneumonia, abscess formation, or infections. Globally, melioidosis is fatal in 10-50% of cases.
Vulnerable people living in Mississippi are advised to avoid contact with muddy water, protect their wounds, or wear waterproof boots and gloves when gardening.