Health officials cast doubt on report of woman who had limbs amputated after bacterial infection from tilapia

Earlier this week, reports of a woman who developed a life-threatening bacterial infection and had to have all of her limbs amputated circulated online, driven in part by a GoFundMe page.

Laura Bajaras, a 40-year-old mother to a six-year-old boy, reportedly fell ill after buying and eating fish from a market in San Jose, California. Per her GoFundMe page, she cooked and ate tilapia fish she bought at the market and subsequently developed a Vibrio vulnificus infection and had to have all of her limbs amputated.

The page, organised by a family friend named Anna Messina, states that Barajas’s family will need help paying her recent medical bills as well as making home modifications to adjust to her new reality. So far, it has raised $117,000.

Now, officials from Santa Clara County are casting doubt on whether Barajas was in fact diagnosed with a Vibrio infection, The Mercury News first reported.

In a statement to The Independent, a spokesperson said Vibrio infections are required to be reported in Santa Clara County. Doctors must report them within one day of diagnosis. No recent infections have been reported, meaning Barajas may not have one.

“The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department monitors for occurrence of any unusual infections and diseases in partnership with local medical providers and laboratories, which are required to report certain diseases and conditions to Public Health,” the statement said. “Public Health investigates reports of suspected Vibrio each year to prevent potential risks to the public and promote the health and safety of the community…Preliminary information has now been received regarding this individual, confirming that no laboratory tests are positive for Vibrio. Several different diseases including but not limited to Vibrio can cause tragic clinical outcomes like this one.”

Though the county could not confirm a Vibrio diagnosis, they did identify “a hospitalized patient…matching the description”, per the statement. Messina said that her description of Barajas’s illness on her GoFundMe page was based on her friend’s “initial diagnosis”.

A number of health conditions can necessitate amputations, per Stanford Medicine, including blood vessel disease, diabetes, an infection of the bones, blood clots, some tumour removal surgeries, and certain types of injuries. Three-fourths of amputations to the upper body are due to trauma.

Though there’s no evidence to suggest Barajas was infected with Vibrio vulnificus, experts have grown increasingly concerned about the bacteria. On 1 September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a health advisory warning the public about Vibrio infections, which are associated with warm coastal waters. Research published in March in the journal Scientific Reports suggested we may see rising cases of this deadly infection in the coming years due to global warming.

Messina updated Barajas’s GoFundMe page on 18 September, writing, “Laura is healing well and looking forward to moving out of the ICU into another room at the hospital…Thank you again for all of your sweet words of encouragement, love and support.”

The Independent has reached out to Anna Messina for comment.