American woman loses all four limbs after eating contaminated fish

A tragic incident occurred in California, where a woman lost all four limbs. This devastating outcome was the result of her contracting a bacterial infection, believed to have come from eating undercooked tilapia fish contaminated with a deadly bacterial strain, according to her friends’ accounts.

Laura Barajas, a 40-year-old mother, underwent life-saving surgery Thursday after a month-long hospital stay, the New York Post reports.

“It’s been very heavy for all of us. It’s terrible. It could have happened to any of us,” said Anna Messina, a friend of Ms. Barajas. KRON.

Messina said Barajas became ill after eating the fish she bought at a local market in San Jose and prepared herself at home.

“She almost lost her life. She was on a ventilator,” Ms. Messina said.

“They put her in a medically induced coma. Her fingers were black, her feet were black and her lower lip was black. She had complete sepsis and her kidneys were failing,” she added.

Ms Messina said Barajas contracted Vibrio vulnificus, a potentially deadly bacteria commonly found in raw seafood and seawater. This highlights the critical importance of proper preparation and handling seafood to avoid such serious health risks.

“The ways you can become infected with this bacteria are, on one hand, eating something contaminated with it (and) on the other, having a cut or tattoo exposed to the water in which lives this virus,” said UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Natasha Spottiswoode said KRON.