An elderly Berlin man has died after contracting a vibrio infection believed to stem from wound contact with Baltic Sea water in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, local health authorities said. All three Berlin residents infected this year were over 75, and each case involved a wound infection, two of which progressed to sepsis.
State health officials suspect the bacteria entered through open wounds or broken skin during exposure to seawater or brackish water. The three patients were residents of Marzahn-Hellersdorf, Pankow, and Steglitz-Zehlendorf. Across Germany, the Robert Koch Institute has recorded 17 vibrio cases since the start of 2026, including two fatalities.
The season arrived unusually early this year, driven by high temperatures that accelerated bacterial spread in the Baltic Sea from June onward. By comparison, only two infections were registered nationwide in 2025, and five in each of the two preceding years.