Jones County man contracts Vibrio while cleaning crabs

POLLOCKSVILLE, Jones County — After one North Carolina man died from contracting Vibrio from eating a raw oyster, a Jones County family is opening up about their ordeal with the potentially deadly bacteria.

Otis Bell, 84, of Jones County was diagnosed with Vibrio after he scraped his arm while cleaning crabs on September 16th. According to his daughter Kathy, Otis' arm started turning black within 16 hours of exposure.

Otis was rushed to Carolina East Medical Center in New Bern where he underwent emergency surgery to save his arm. After spending three weeks in the ICU, Bell was moved into a regular room on Monday.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, "Vibrio bacteria naturally live in certain coastal waters and are present in higher concentrations between May and October when water temperatures are warmer."

The CDC estimates that vibriosis causes 80,000 illnesses each year in the United States. About 52,000 of these illnesses are estimated to be the result of eating contaminated food.