THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 11, 1997 TAG: 9701110271
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 61 lines
Consumers in Hampton Roads should use caution when buying and eating Louisiana oysters, some of which have been associated with an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in five states, the Virginia Department of Health said Friday.
Oysters from eight Louisiana beds are the suspected cause of illness in more than 100 people in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida, said Robert Croonenberghs, director of the Virginia Department of Health's Division of Shellfish Sanitation.
Oysters from tainted beds may have been shipped to Virginia and distributed, but no illnesses have been reported in this state, Croonenberghs said.
Consumers can't visually spot a tainted oyster in a store or restaurant, he said, but can ask the purveyor where the oysters came from.
The suspected culprit is the Norwalk (or Norwalk-like) virus, which occurs in human feces, Croonenberghs said. The bivalve mollusks filter the virus out of the water where they are raised. People who eat infected mollusks - especially ones that are raw or undercooked - may become ill.
Symptoms include abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and occur within 24 to 48 hours of ingestion, said Dr. David Kim, an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
The illness lasts for about 24 to 72 hours and generally is not life-threatening, Kim said.
But an infected person can transmit the virus through physical contact, such as a handshake or kiss, he said. Or, a person can pick it up by using an infected person's belongings, such as a telephone, pen or computer terminal.
On Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals recalled oysters distributed from suspected beds. But some oysters from those areas may remain in markets, restaurants and consumers' homes, Croonenberghs said.
``We believe the risk is minimal,'' he said.
Nonetheless, consumers should check oysters - in the shell, shucked, fresh or frozen - that were purchased after Dec. 23, the health department advised in a statement issued this week.
Because oysters are tagged to indicate origins, seafood dealers should be able to tell consumers where their oysters were harvested.
Affected beds include: Black Bay, Lake Machias, Lake Fortuna, California Bay, Bay Crabe, Bay Gardene, American Bay and Bay Lafourche, the health department said.
Consumers should discard oysters from those beds, or whose sources cannot be identified, the department advised.
Oysters should not be eaten raw or partially cooked, Croonenberghs said. Cooking them to 145 degrees reduces the risk of illness but does not eliminate it, he noted.
Anyone who experiences symptoms of the virus and suspects oysters are the cause should contact a doctor or their local health department, Croonenberghs said.
The Louisiana health department, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference are continuing to investigate and monitor the outbreak. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
[Some Louisiana oysters...]
KEYWORDS: OYSTERS