The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is warning residents and visitors about a rare and dangerous bacterium that can cause flesh-eating disease after swimming. The infection, caused by Vibrio vulnificus,

Health department officials in Massachusetts are warning the public about a potentially deadly bacteria in coastal waters after a person was infected.

In a rare case, one person contracted a flesh-eating bacteria known as Vibrio vulnificus after swimming at a Falmouth beach last week.