Ten people were sickened with food poisoning after eating raw oysters in the US (Picture: Getty Images)
Americans are being advised not to eat some raw oysters in 13 states after 10 people got sick with food poisoning.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recall this week of frozen oysters over concerns that there are more contaminated batches of the shellfish.
One person in Las Vegas who ate oysters was vomiting and had diarrhea and was found to have sapovirus. Nine other people are believed to be infected with the stomach bug.
The oysters were served between October 28 and November 5. The FDA put out the alert after the Southern Nevada Health District reported the infection.
‘Consumers, especially those who are or could become pregnant, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems, who have recently consumed raw oysters in 13 states and suspect they have food poisoning should seek medical care immediately,’ stated FDA officials.
‘The Korean firm has recalled frozen half shell oysters, frozen oysters (individually quick freezed), and frozen oyster block harvested from the same harvest area.’
Sapovirus symptoms typically being 48 hours after consumption and can cause nausea and pain in the stomach. Infections usually go away between one and four days and are rarely cause death.
The states subject to the recall are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Two batches of oysters have been found to contain the virus.
Sapovirus is spread via fecal-oral contact and outbreaks have occurred at day care centers and nurseries.
The recall comes a few months after a man ate a bad oyster at Rustic Inn Crabhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, that gave him the bacterial infection Vibrio. He died.
‘He had that one in a billion that was bad. I feel horrible,’ said Gary Oreal of the restaurant.
‘Over the course of 60 years, we have served a couple billion oysters and we never had anyone get sick like this guy did.’
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Two bad batches of oysters have been found.
