It’s generally not safe to eat raw oysters during summer months, but consumers should be especially careful this summer, the San Mateo County Health Department cautioned last week — especially if the oysters are from the Pacific Northwest.
Brian Zamora, the county’s director of public health, issued an advisory news release in response to five recent cases of gastrointestinal illness in the county believed to have been caused by eating raw oysters
This summer, oysters from the Pacific Northwest have caused an unusual amount of illnesses, according to the release. The health department is encouraging consumers who have purchased oysters from that area to return them, and advised retailers to send oysters from the region back to their original vendor if they were purchased after July 13.
The department said that the illnesses were probably caused by a naturally occurring bacterium called Vibrio, most prevalent during hot summer months.
It added that oysters usually don’t cause life-threatening illnesses, but that severe illness can occur in people with weakened immune systems. The symptoms may include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. They usually occur within 24 hours of eating the oysters and generally don’t last for more than three days.
Undercooked oysters may also pose a health risk if they are lightly steamed, marinated or prepared as Rockefeller, the department advised.
For more information, call the county health department at 573-2346 or visit the Federal Drug Administration’s Web site at www.cfsan.fd.gov.
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