The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has just issued a warning to consumers not to eat oysters from the Hood Canal ares of Washington.
This oyster warning was prompted by 3 confirmed and 2 possible cases of
Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections. This bacterium isn't the
Vibrio bacterium that causes cholera but it's in the same genus.
The agency is recommending that anyone who recently purchased oysters check to see where the oysters were harvested. The oysters involved in these infections all came from Washington but were shipped to these states:
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Virginia
- Utah
- Washington
They were also shipped to 4 foreign countries:
- China
- Indonesia
- Taiwan
- Thailand
The agency says that if you discover that your oysters came from the Hood Canal Area 4 area of Washington you should throw them out. If you or someone if your family has recently consumed oysters from this area and didn't get sick you're probably fine, the agency says, and no further action is necessary. However if you've eaten oysters or other shellfish and developed diarrhea within a week of doing so you're urged to seek medical treatment and tell your doctor about your possible exposure to the bacterium. The symptoms of this infection can begin within a few hours or take as long as 5 days to present themselves.
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