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EDUCATION WORKSHOP FOR THE FLORIDA MEDICAL COMMUNITY ON THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SHELLFISH CONSUMPTION
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this project is to inform the medical community in Florida about the risks posed by the marine bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, to people whose immune systems are compromised by liver disease, chemotherapy, etc and to encourage them to provide proper counsel to patients to avoid eating raw oysters
Description:
People whose immune systems are compromised by liver disease, chemotherapy, etc. are at a substantial risk of contracting a fatal infection from the marine bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus to which they could potentially be exposed by eating raw oysters. It has proven difficult to get physicians and other health care workers to counsel patients with comprimised liver function about this risk. The objective of this project is develop a course for continuing education credit to inform the medical community in Florida about the risks posed by the marine bacteria, Vibrio vulnificus, to people whose immune systems are compromised by liver disease, chemotherapy, etc and to encourage them to provide proper counsel to patients to avoid eating raw oysters. This course will serve as a pilot for educating the medical community in the other Gulf States and potentially other states where consumption of oysters from the Gulf of Mexico is high.