If it feels like foodborne illness has been making a lot of headlines lately, you’re not imagining it.

Cyclospora. Salmonella. And now, a so-called “flesh-eating” bacterium associated with seafood and coastal waters.

That last one certainly wasn’t on the summer bingo card.

Florida health officials have reported 12 cases of Vibrio vulnificus and one death as of July 30, according to reporting highlighted by Yahoo News. The naturally occurring bacterium is found in warm coastal and brackish waters and can be contracted by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters, or when an open wound comes into contact with contaminated water.

The infection is rare, but its potential severity makes it especially alarming. In serious cases, Vibrio vulnificus can cause necrotizing fasciitis, an infection that destroys tissue around an open wound. The CDC estimates that about one in five people with a Vibrio vulnificus infection dies, sometimes within just a day or two of becoming ill.

The news arrives amid heightened attention to other foodborne illnesses, including Cyclospora and Salmonella outbreaks and investigations. Together, the headlines are an important reminder that food safety threats come from many places and take many forms.

Some bacteria occur naturally in the environment. Other pathogens can contaminate food at different points between production, processing, preparation and consumption. The important question isn’t whether risk can ever be completely eliminated. It can’t.

The question is whether science, monitoring and practical prevention measures are being used to reduce it.

For Vibrio, those precautions are relatively straightforward: cook seafood thoroughly, wash hands after handling raw shellfish and avoid exposing open wounds to coastal or brackish water. People with liver disease, diabetes or compromised immune systems face greater risk of severe illness and should take additional precautions.

Cyclospora, Salmonella and flesh-eating bacteria may make for unsettling headlines. But they also reinforce something worth remembering: food safety requires constant vigilance, good information and a clear understanding of where risks actually come from.