Raw oysters may have sickened 200 people in Southern California, officials say
Gastrointestinal illnesses possibly linked to raw oysters have sickened nearly 200 people, according to health officials in Southern California, who urged residents to take extra precautions with shellfish.
The diseases, recorded in Los Angeles County and San Diego, may be linked to oysters imported from a specific harvest in northwestern Mexico.
Los Angeles County Department of Health said in a statement Wednesday that there were “more than 150 suspected local cases of gastrointestinal illness linked to the consumption of raw oysters, likely caused by norovirus.”
Officials there warned people to ask restaurants where they got their oysters from, and to avoid eating oysters from Laguna De Guerrero Negro and Laguna Manuela in Baja California, Mexico, and from Bahia Salina in Sonora, Mexico. The department said it was still working to confirm the cause of the illness.
In San Diego County, officials said they had linked 41 confirmed and probable cases of norovirus disease to raw oysters from northwestern Mexico.
Civil servants said in a press release on January 11, it was reported that the cases were reported in residents who had dined out and consumed raw oysters from Sonora, Mexico, beginning in mid-December. “These affected oysters were only available through restaurants and wholesale locations,” the province said, adding that health officials had asked restaurants to set aside “Rocky Point oysters” packaged by Golpac in Bahia Salina, in Sonora, Mexico.
The agency especially urged caution among vulnerable populations, such as young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
The US Food and Drug Administration advised this on Thursday restaurants and retailers in California not to serve or sell oysters distributed by Sociedad Acuicola GolPac that were harvested on December 18, December 19 or December 27 due to possible norovirus contamination. The FDA also warned consumers in the area against eating those oysters.
The agency said Mexican authorities closed the Bahia Salina area to harvests on January 12 and launched an investigation into the source of the diseases.
Symptoms of norovirus include diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever. The virus can also cause dehydration. People who experience these symptoms and may have consumed affected oysters should contact their healthcare provider, who should then report their symptoms to their local health department, the FDA said.
Symptoms usually begin 12 to 48 hours after exposure to norovirus, and most people with norovirus disease get better within 1 to 3 days.
“Until the source is confirmed, consumers should be cautious about eating raw oysters due to the potential risk of foodborne illness,” said Dr. Muntu Davis, a Los Angeles County health official, said in a statement.
Dr. Davis added: “If you are sick, avoid the spread of illness by washing your hands frequently and cleaning frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs, light switches and kitchen counters.”
Orange County officials had reported no probable cases of the virus, but they did warn residents be cautious about consuming raw oysters due to diseases in some surrounding counties.
“Food contaminated with pathogens may look, smell and taste normal,” the FDA said.