The raw oysters Salmonella outbreak that is linked to oysters harvested from the Winocino River in Virginia has now sickened at least 55 people, according to information from an announcement from the Virginia Department of Health. The CDC posted about this outbreak on October 19, 2026, so this could mean that the outbreak has doubled in two days.
The patient case count is hidden under the “Background” tab under “Investigation Details” in the notice. The illnesses began in late May 2026 and the most recent illness onset date is October 6, 2026.
The discrepancy is explained as the CDC focusing its investigation on a genomic subgroup of 27 cases from 12 states “within the broader Salmonella Telelkebir investigation,” according to the notice.
Shellfish tag and traceback information is available for seven of the 10 cases reporting raw oyster consumption. Two of the cases in Virginia were single source. The rest of the cases were multi-source, with one potential source from the same VA growing area as the single source was and other sources from Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Georgia, or Virginia. Consumption of raw oysters from a single Virginia harvest area is the likely source for illnesses in this genome subcluster.
The CDC identified the Little Wicomico Oyster Company, harvesting oysters from the Little Wicomino River in Virginia, as the source of this outbreak. They are the only source in common for the people identified in traceback. These oysters were sold in these states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Texas.
If you have eaten oysters in the past week, especially if they came from the Little Wicomico River, and have been ill with the symptoms of a Salmonella infection, see your doctor. You may be part of this outbreak.
