No pearl in these oysters

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just issued a warning not to eat raw oysters from Washington State. Apparently a number of oysters from Hood Canal’s “growing area 4″ have been associated with a bacteria,Vibrio parahaemolyticus, to be exact, that causes illness. The oysters were distributed across 23 states.

The “outbreak” in question affected, so far, three confirmed cases and two possible cases. The tainted oysters were delivered between August 30 and September 19. The illness associated with the bacteria often includes diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. The victim can get sick within a few hours after eating the oysters or up to five days later.

In the meantime, Hood Canal’s area 4 has been shut down by the Washington State Department of Health, and anything harvested there during the period in question has been recalled.

Eating raw oysters (or any raw shellfish) is never a good idea for anyone with compromised health, so be careful out there!

For more information, see this article.