Before you brush off the message, consider this: The state of Florida has issued a warning about vibrio vulnificus, an often deadly bacteria that can be transmitted by eating undercooked or raw shellfish such as oysters, clams, or crabs. 

Eight people have been infected by the bacteria in Florida this year, and two have died — one from eating raw seafood and another from “multiple exposures” to the bacteria. (The bacteria killed at least seven people in Florida last year, but the state says that number is underreported.)

Vibrio vulnificus can also be contracted by wading in bacteria-infected water with an open wound, but ingesting raw seafood is by far the biggest culprit, infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh A. Adalja, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, tells Yahoo Health.

Most people who contract this bacteria will experience vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, but it can also infect the bloodstream, causing fever, chills, decreased blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions.

This bacteria also has a high mortality rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vibrio vulnificus bloodstream infections are fatal 50 percent of the time.

Before you panic, know this: Most people who died from vibrio vulnificus had liver disease or had compromised immune systems. However, anyone can become infected.