Tattoo Safety: Man dies from tattoo bacteria in the Gulf of Mexico

A man in Texas died from a bacterial infection that entered his bloodstream through his newly inked tattoo. He got the infection while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. The information is scarce, but what we do know is that the 31 year old man died from septic shock, which was caused by the bacterial infection, Vibrio Vulnificus. This caused fever and chills ultimately leading to his death. Cesar Garcia, owner of Dark Empire Tattoo shop in Yuma explains the precautions one must take when caring for a tattoo. “When you get done with the tattoo, its pretty much the same thing as an open wound, you want to treat it as an open wound, so you want to make sure there in no cross-contamination whatsoever. You wanna make sure to clean it with anti-bacterial soap, and that’s pretty much the only time you should expose it to water,” said Garcia. While the name of the man has not been released and this is an isolated incident, it is an issue that everyone should be aware of. Going into lakes or any patch of water with any type of open wounds, including freshly done tattoo’s is dangerous and the results can be deadly.