San Diego: Norovirus outbreak linked to raw oysters

Health officials in San Diego County are reporting an outbreak of norovirus that has sickened dozens.

San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency have linked 41 confirmed and probable cases of norovirus illness to raw oysters imported from a specific harvest location in Northwest Mexico.  

The cases began in mid-December following dining on raw oysters from Sonora, Mexico. These implicated oysters have only been available through restaurants and wholesale locations.

Cases to date have been tied to oysters served at three locations of The Fish Shop (Pacific Beach, Point Loma, and Encinitas) restaurants and the Carlsbad Aquafarm.

The 41 people who got sick reported eating raw oysters a day or two in advance of symptoms. Cases range in age from 12 to 83 years old. Symptoms reported included nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. None of the illnesses required hospitalization. 

“The County recommends that people ask where oysters were harvested when eating out or getting food from wholesale locations to avoid consuming Rocky Point oysters from Bahia Salina, Sonora, Mexico,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer. “It’s also important for anyone who is sick to seek medical care. People who are ill, and those that live with them, should wash their hands frequently to avoid contaminating surfaces and foods that could further spread the infection.”  

Eating raw oysters has been linked to outbreaks with such germs as Vibrio, Shigella, and E. coli, in addition to norovirus.

Norovirus is a highly contagious viral illness that often goes by other names, such as viral gastroenteritis, stomach flu, and food poisoning.

The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. Sometimes people additionally have a low-grade fever, chills,headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of tiredness. The illness often begins suddenly, and the infected person may feel very sick. In most people, the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about 1 or 2 days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults do.

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Norovirus is spread person to person particularly in crowded, closed places. Norovirus is typically spread through contaminated food and water, touching surfaces or objects contaminated with norovirus and then putting your hand or fingers in your mouth and close contact with someone who is vomiting or has diarrhea.

Norovirus causes more than 20 million illnesses annually in the US, and it is the leading cause of gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States.