FDA Warns Against Raw Washington State Oysters

[crackers]

According to YahooNews:

the FDA has advised against eating raw oysters harvested in Washington state, citing a recent rash of bacteria-caused illnesses that have sickened people on both coasts.

On Friday, the Washington state Department of Health issued a recall for all oysters in the shell harvested after July 13 from closed areas in Hood Canal and south Puget Sound. Packaged oysters are not affected by the recall.

There have been more than 70 reported cases of vibriosis this year in people who ate oysters in Washington, the highest number since 1997, when 58 cases were reported, Health Department spokesman Tim Church said.

Church said the agency has received reports of people from Oregon, British Columbia and as far away as New York being sickened after eating raw oysters from Washington, though it's unclear if those cases were people who were shipped oysters or if they ate them in the state and later became ill. The FDA said there were also cases in California.

Vibriosis is caused by vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacteria typically found in saltwater and one that proliferates in hot weather. It's present in all shellfish, but people most typically get sick after eating raw oysters.

In healthy adults, the bacteria can cause diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. The illness can be fatal to those with chronic liver disease or compromised immune systems, but deaths are rare.

Church said between 12 and 20 people fall ill with vibriosis annually, usually in the summer. Record temperatures in the region "which were in the 90s last week" are likely the culprit, he said.

"It's a combination of warmer weather as well as low tides during warm parts of the day," he said. "All of this contributes to the growth of this bacteria."

Church said that even though the recall only affects oysters from a few areas, the state is encouraging people to follow the FDA advisory. "To be on the safe side, we recommend that people think twice before eating oysters raw, especially if they come from the Puget Sound area," he said.

Health officials say diners can avoid illness by eating only cooked shellfish, which have been stored cold and heated to 145 degrees. Restaurants are allowed to continue serving raw or undercooked shellfish as long as consumers are advised of the risks. The Health Department has notified restaurant and grocery trade groups of the recent outbreak.

In Shelton, headquarters of Taylor Shellfish, the West Coast's largest shellfish grower, spokesman Bill Dewey said some of the company's major growing areas along Totten and Eld inlets have been closed, and that sales have been down 25 percent in the past few weeks.

He said the company is taking measures to ensure customer safety.

Dewey said that all shellfish being harvested are being iced, so that bacteria won't thrive. The company also is not doing any direct low tide harvest, instead putting the oysters into containers where they can sit until the next high tide cycle so they can filter out any bacteria acquired during low tide.

Dewey said oyster lovers shouldn't overreact to the recent spate of illnesses.

"As soon as they hear on the news something is wrong with oysters, they back off, and that's unfortunate," he said. "They don't need to stop eating oysters. It's just smart at this time of year to not eat raw oysters."

[ScotteeM]

[ol_ironstomach]

$#@*! vibrio.

Mebbe the environment is trying to tell us something. Something like "eat your jellyfish."

[Al Dente]

Crap. And I'm going there on vacation next week.

[Banco]

Crap. And I'm going there on vacation next week.

Hey, so am I! I guess geoducks won't be good, either.

[DonRocks]

According to YahooNews:

the FDA has advised against eating raw oysters harvested in Washington state, citing a recent rash of bacteria-caused illnesses that have sickened people on both coasts.

I'm sorry, but this is nonsense bordering on hysteria. In fact, I just now returned from lunch where I had a sampler platter of two-dozen raw Olympias, Penn Coves, Kumamotos, and Malpeques, and I feel fine, thank you very much. This afternoon I plan on writing the FDA and letting them know what I thiqwog qwaqtw2p;gt2 238pqpt uwep QAPT3Ughv;sd;vbj;lkkjbaYUFDQyoyYvVVvvvv#(q)****)@^@@@@

[Banco]

I'm sorry, but this is nonsense bordering on hysteria. In fact, I just now returned from lunch where I had a sampler platter of two-dozen raw Olympias, Penn Coves, Kumamotos, and Malpeques, and I feel fine, thank you very much. This afternoon I plan on writing the FDA and letting them know what I thiqwog qwaqtw2p;gt2 238pqpt uwep QAPT3Ughv;sd;vbj;lkkjbaYUFDQyoyYvVVvvvv#(q)****)@^@@@@

Yes, but a very nice custom of living in that area is walking along the beach at low tide, picking up an oyster or two, and, after a delicate shucking, letting the nectar dribble in your mouth and down your chin. (The actual oyster may be too large for consumption "a la nature.") Given the recent heat wave there, I doubt this would now be adviseable.

[deangold]

Having had Vibrio poisiing once, I can tell you that it is an invitation to get to know your toilet on a face to bowl level for a large number of hours punctuated by a check to seat relationship. It was one of the most miserable nights of my life (not as bad as my heart attack but worse than most any other). Having said that, there are 70 cases and hundreds of millions of oysters eated ina given year, probably a few hundred whousand Washington State oysters this month. Maybe a warning of the danger and not a reccomendation not to eat raw oysters in general would be more appropriate. In the list of dangers to public health, eating oysters is far less risky than a lot of things we do eat (ie the billions and billions of Micky D's burger like thingies eaten cause hundreds of thousands of deaths).

Please note that nothing in this post should be taken as an endorsement of eating anything not incinerated to 175 degrees or more for hours at a time. It would make the local health department mad. They ahve asked me to let you know that eating anything fun is a risk.