(KMDL-FM) Across Louisiana, we are in the final three weeks of summer. No, not as defined by the calendar, but as defined by the school systems across the state. Yeah, it’s hard to believe, but many school-age children from Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Alexandria, and Baton Rouge will be heading back to class on or about August 7th.
Now, August 7th isn’t the official “back-to-school” date for every school system in the state, but quite a few of those educational systems where we live near Lafayette have already announced plans for the first day, and they are asking parents to review bus schedules and pick-up and drop-off policies.
That means for a lot of families, the next weekend or so will be that one final chance to hit the white sands and bob in the waves of the beaches of Florida and Lower Alabama. And for the most part, I think we’d all be in agreement, the beaches off to the east are a little nicer than most of the beaches in Louisiana.
Well, they’re nicer except for one small detail. And I do mean a small detail, it’s a detail so small you’d need a microscope to see it. So, yes, I am talking about bacteria, and no, I am not talking about a run-of-the-mill kind of bacteria that can only make you a little sick.
The Florida Department of Health has confirmed one fatality because of Vibrio vulnificus, a rare bacterium that naturally occurs in warm seawater. That fatality happened in Bay County. Bay County, Florida, is home to Panama City and Panama City Beach, just so you know…