Health Officials Investigating Norovirus Illnesses Linked to Oysters

The Food and Drug Administration and other government agencies are now investigating reports of illness caused by norovirus in some people who ate oysters harvested from San Antonio Bay in the Gulf of Texas.

Consumers are advised to avoid eating the oysters, which have been linked to about one dozen reports of norovirus-associated illness in people from South Carolina and North Carolina.

Noroviruses are a category of viruses that cause gastroenteritis, or infection of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of the illness include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramping, the FDA said. Victims may also experience low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness.

Most people exposed to norovirus exhibit symptoms within 48 hours of exposure to the virus. The illness typically lasts one to two days. Norovirus typically is not life-threatening and does not generally cause long-term effects, the FDA advised.

However, people with weakened immune systems, including those affected by AIDS, and those with chronic alcohol abuse, liver, stomach or blood disorders, cancer, diabetes or kidney disease should avoid raw oyster consumption altogether, regardless of where the oysters are harvested, officials said.

Avoid Eating Certain Oysters, FDA Says

Consumers should avoid eating oysters harvested from the San Antonio Bay beginning November 16, the FDA said. People who purchased oysters during the affected time should throw the products away and not eat them.

The oysters also should not be served in restaurants and consumers ordering the items in restaurants should ask the restaurant operator to make sure the oysters being served are not the subject of the FDA health safety advisory. No other seafood harvested from the San Antonio Bay or other areas are affected by the norovirus investigation, the FDA said.

Affected Oyster Beds Shut Down

The FDA, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas are jointly investigating the reports of norovirus-related illnesses possibly linked to oysters from the San Antonio Bay.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has recalled all oysters harvested from the San Antonio Bay between Nov. 16 and Nov. 25 because of the possible link to norovirus illnesses. Also, the oyster beds in the San Antonio Bay involved in the harvesting of the oysters have been closed by the Texas Department of Health Services, officials said.

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