BATON ROUGE, La. -- Two people have died so far this year from eating raw oysters contaminated with a naturally occurring bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus, the state epidemiologist says.

Associated Press

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The latest death, that of an East Baton Rouge Parish man, occurred about two weeks ago, Raoult Ratard said this week. In an average year, between five and 10 people die from eating contaminated raw oysters, he said.

Vibrio vulnificus is killed when oysters are cooked, but the bacteria can infect people who eat raw oysters.

The bacteria can be fatal for people with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, liver disease or immune system problems. For healthy people, the bacteria either won't cause any symptoms or could cause nausea, diarrhea or stomach cramps.

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