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It’s been a rough summer for beach-goers in the Eastern half of the United States.

Flesh-eating bacteria from the Gulf of Mexico is leading to illnesses, amputations and deaths. The jellyfish-like Portuguese man-of-wars with their painful and paralyzing stings are washing up in New Jersey and shark attacks in the Carolinas, 10 since May 15, are feeding fears that sunburns and lost luggage are the least of a vacationer’s worries.

However, while the sting of the Portuguese man-of-wars is potentially fatal, especially if someone is stung in deep water far from shore, actual deaths are rare.

Infection in the Gulf typically happens through an open wound or bug bite, but as accuweather.com notes, infections aren’t common.

And though shark attacks at popular Carolina beaches are higher than they’ve been in 80 years, the National Park Service notes on their website that “shark encounters are still extremely unlikely.”  

So what’s behind all the fear?

David Ropeik, an instructor at Harvard University and the author of several books on the psychology of risk, says the perception of risk can often out-shout the odds of something like a gruesome and painful death by shark attack.

“Risk is a feeling, not just a fact,” he said. “Risk is not just a matter of the statistics, it’s the process by which you become dead. That has an emotional relevance which sometimes causes us to overlook the odds.”

And many factors contribute to a feeling of heightened risk:

• A shark attack or a flesh-eating infection comes with the possibility for high pain and suffering.
• “Unknowability,” or the potential threat being unseen, as it is in water, reduces one’s ability to protect one’s self.
• A newer threat can also feel like it has a higher risk than a threat that has been assimilated into daily life.
• High awareness of the potential threat, usually fed by media coverage, brings the idea of the threat into your orbit.

“Now the headlines put it on people’s radar screen and the more aware of a risk we are, the more weight it carries,” Ropeik said.

However, Ropeik warned that worrying too much, or too little, can create a whole new set of potential problems. Opting against a planned beach vacation because of potential risk could lead to lack of activity, stress or resentment.

The best option is to address feelings of fear and to consciously weigh the risks and benefits of choices, then factor in what precautions can be taken.

“The reality is that in certain circumstances, the fear of being bitten is not a stupid or irrational fear at all,” Ropeik said. “It’s at least reasonable enough to take precautions.”

The National Park Service advises swimmers in areas where there have been shark sightings or attacks to stay in groups, avoid wearing shiny objects and bright colors, don’t go into the water if bleeding and avoid swimming too far out in the water or swimming during darkness or twilight so they can “more safely share the ocean with these spectacular animals.”

Those fearing stings while in the ocean can don a wetsuit. Those with open wounds should avoid the warm waters where bacteria thrive or take special care to clean and cover broken skin. 

“We can consciously do a little to try and make the choice a little more fact-based, but in the end, feelings win. They may make us dumb sometimes,” Ropeik said. “Be aware, but don’t be a 24/7 news victim. Once you know what you need to know, go take the dog for a walk or go to the beach.”