Consumers are advised to avoid eating raw oysters from British Columbia. The FDA posted a notice stating that they and the CDC, along with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and state partners are investigating a multistate outbreak of norovirus illnesses that are linked to oysters. There is no word yet on how many people may have been sickened in this outbreak, but California has announced that there are at least 100 people sick in that state.
The FDA has confirmed that potentially contaminated raw oysters that were harvested in the south and central parts of Baynes Sound in British Columbia were distributed to Alaska, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington state. Other states may have also received these oysters either directly from Canada or through further distribution.
All government agencies are conducting a traceforward investigation to find out where the oysters were sold and to make sure they are removed from the food supply. Retailers should not serve any raw oysters that were harvested from these landfiles (harvest locations) in Baynes Sound: #1402060, #1411206, #1400483, and #278757.
The symptoms of norovirus include diarrhea, fever, vomiting, nausea, and stomach and abdominal pain. The diarrhea will most likely be watery and not bloody. Symptoms usually begin 12 to 48 hours after infection.
While anyone can contract norovirus when eating raw shellfish, some groups are more likely to become seriously ill. Those people include children under the age of five, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened or compromised immune systems.
If you have any of these oysters in your home, do not eat the. Throw them in the garbage in a sealed container, or take them back to the store where you purchased them for a refund.
If you have eaten raw or lightly cooked oysters and have been sick, see your doctor. It’s important to contact a physician if you have diarrhea that lasts longer than 3 days, a high fever, blood in the stool, or so much vomiting that you can’t keep liquids down and pass little urine.
