The summer heat is still with us and some area families might decide to take a late trip south to enjoy the beach and the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico.
The beach should be a lot of fun. The water? That's more problematic.
Recently, a man named Blaine Shelton was swimming off Crystal Beach, near Galveston, when he saw something in the water.
It was a shark.
Shelton managed to get back to dry land but not until the shark gave him a nasty bite on the leg.
Now, shark bites are rare. So that's not the problem we touched on.
It's what happened afterward.
A week after being treated for the bite, Shelton was back in the hospital with excruciating pain. The wound had been infected by flesh-eating bacteria, presumably in the water.
He's being treated, but has already lost some tissue. We wish him the best.
This isn't the first case of flesh-eating virus in the Gulf this year. From Texas to Florida there have been cases of the dreaded infection, some fatal. Others have lost limbs to stave off the bacteria's progress.
It's frightening.
The bacteria thrives in warmer water and is especially common from May to October. So if your late summer or fall plans include the Gulf, be very careful
We aren't saying avoid the Gulf at all costs. But as Shelton told ABC affiliate KSAT-12, don't go in the water if you have a cut or scratch.
That's sound advice from someone who knows.