What was supposed to be a cozy family Valentine’s weekend in Charleston turned into a medical horror story for former Action News Jax anchor Tera Lageman. After enjoying what she described as a beloved family tradition of slurping raw oysters, she soon found herself in the Mayo Clinic emergency room, battling a life-threatening infection and headed for emergency surgery.
Doctors isolated Lageman, hooked her up to IV antibiotics and fluids, and kept close tabs on her bloodwork to make sure the bacteria had not spread. The scare rattled her family and added fresh urgency to local tracking of Vibrio infections just as warm-water season starts ramping up.
As reported by Action News Jax, Lageman said the trouble started shortly after the Valentine’s Day weekend oyster feast in Charleston. By Sunday, she and family members were feeling sick. “That is a family tradition. My dad and I especially, are just oyster connoisseurs,” she told the station.
At the hospital, physicians moved quickly. Lageman said they isolated her from other patients, pumped in fluids and antibiotics, and ran near-constant blood tests. A later CT scan showed her diverticulitis was worsening and her appendix was on the verge of rupturing, which pushed doctors to perform emergency surgery.
What Vibrio Is And Who Faces The Highest Risk
Vibrio are bacteria that naturally live in coastal waters and most often infect people who eat raw or undercooked shellfish or who expose open wounds to seawater, according to the CDC. The agency notes that Vibrio levels typically rise as water temperatures climb, usually from May through October.
People with liver disease, diabetes, or weakened immune systems are at the highest risk of severe illness. The Florida Department of Health warns that Vibrio bloodstream infections can become life-threatening very quickly and says suspected cases should be reported to public-health officials without delay.
Local Cases And An Ongoing Investigation
Action News Jax reports there have been five confirmed cases of Vibrio vulnificus in Florida so far in 2026. That includes a case reported in April in St. Johns County involving a person between 75 and 79 years old.
DOH-St. Johns told the station it cannot comment on an ongoing epidemiological investigation, and state health data keep specific patient ages and probable exposure locations confidential. Overall counts remain small compared with many other foodborne illnesses, but public-health officials point out that even a single severe Vibrio case is enough to keep them on high alert.
Why Speedy Treatment Is Critical
Vibrio vulnificus can move fast, shifting from something that feels like basic food poisoning to a life-threatening bloodstream infection. The journal JAMA notes that mortality can be high and that some wound infections require surgery.
Rapid diagnosis and targeted antibiotics are key, and clinicians may need to surgically remove infected tissue to keep the bacteria from spreading. Lageman’s ordeal, where she initially seemed to improve and then suddenly worsened enough to need emergency surgery, fits the kind of rapid turn doctors warn patients about.
How To Stay Out Of Trouble With Vibrio
Health officials urge people at higher risk to skip the raw oysters and other raw shellfish, cook seafood thoroughly, and keep any open cuts away from brackish or salt water, guidance echoed by the CDC. If you are handling raw shellfish, they advise wearing gloves, washing hands right after, and getting immediate medical care if you develop severe abdominal pain, fever, chills, blistering skin lesions, or signs of sepsis following shellfish consumption or coastal water exposure.
Lageman said the experience changed her family’s habits, and they no longer eat raw oysters. For doctors, her story is a pointed reminder that a simple outing and a seafood treat can carry outsized consequences for people who are vulnerable.
