Miami

3-Year-Old Hospitalized Over Bacterial Infection From South Florida Beach: Mom

"There are significant scars"

A South Florida mother said she found red sores and blisters that led to bacterial skin infections on her 3-year-old daughter after spending a day at the beach.

Anais Monteagudo celebrated her daughter Aaliyah's third birthday at Key Biscayne's Crandon Beach on July 21. Monteagudo noticed Aaliyah's skin was swollen at the end of the day.

Days later, Aaliyah's condition worsened as more sores and blisters appeared on her lips, face and arms. Monteagudo took Aaliyah to Nicklaus Children's Hospital on Tuesday, where she said she saw others being treated for similar infections, according to a Facebook post.

"They said that there's been a lot of cases from Key Biscayne that are coming in with infections. A lot of kids," Monteagudo told NBC 6.

Just four days before the Monteagudo birthday beach trip, the Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County issued a no swimming advisory for Crandon Beach North, Crandon Beach South and Golden Beach after water samples showed high levels of fecal bacteria.

The FDOH lifted the advisory for the Key Biscayne beaches on Tuesday – the same day Monteagudo took Aaliyah to the hospital.

"There are significant scars," Monteagudo said. "I was scared because I didn't know if it was going to impact her internally."

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