The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public about an outbreak of the Norovirus caused by the consumption of raw oysters. Restaurants and retailers in at least thirteen states have received contaminated oysters from the south and central areas of Baynes Sound, British Columbia, Canada.
The states that have reported illnesses are California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
According to CBS DFW, around 279 individuals became ill from consuming oysters in Canada. Most cases were in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, Canada. Those illnesses spanned from the beginning of January to the end of March.
In the United States, about 103 people reported the oyster-linked illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.
Twenty-nine people ate raw oysters at Travail Kitchen in Minnesota around March 20, leaving them all sick with the Norovirus. The restaurant stopped serving the dish, which they call the Stellar Bay Gold oysters.
On April 5, officials of Washington said that since March 7, twenty-six residents reported illness after consuming raw oysters. According to Food Safety News, thirty-four people in California reported the same.
Oysters contaminated with Norovirus can smell, taste, and look normal.
Norovirus symptoms are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, body aches, headache, and fever. The symptoms usually arise 12 to 48 hours after consumption. Most people recover within 1 to 3 days of the onset of symptoms.
The virus can cause severe dehydration in young, old, and immune-compromised individuals, which could be fatal.
Not only can Norovirus infect a person by the consumption of food or liquid, but individuals can become infected by becoming exposed to a person who has it or by touching a contaminated area and placing unwashed hands near the mouth.
The Norovirus’s nickname of “the stomach flu” is a misnomer as the Norovirus is unrelated to the flu. In the United States, the Norovirus is the leading cause of food-borne illness. Around 2,500 reports of outbreaks happen yearly.
Norovirus is typically resistant to heat, surviving at temperatures up to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Quick steaming oysters may not heat the food to that temperature.
Dr. Tomas J. Aragon, the California Department of Health director and a state public health officer, said, “Avoid eating raw and undercooked shellfish, including oysters, to reduce your risk of illness. If you do eat shellfish, cook it until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Quick steaming isn’t sufficient to kill Norovirus.”
Norovirus enters the marine environment through untreated human sewage and vomit. Possible causes include people at the beach, leaking septic tanks, boaters, and defective wastewater treatment plants.
Shellfish filter seawater throughout their bodies, causing the Norovirus to enter their system.
The FDA, the CDC, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and state and local partners are investigating the Norovirus outbreak.
The FDA said retailers must look at their raw oyster supply from harvest locations within British Columbia, including BC 14-8 and BC 14-15, with the harvesting date beginning January 31, 2022. The information can be found on the product tags.