Many people look forward to raw oysters, and raw oyster bars are popular at some trendy restaurants. However, they (along with other under-cooked seafood) can put you at risk for food-borne illnesses.
Recently, many people became ill in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario after eating raw oysters harvested from B.C. farms.
Although the actual causes of the contamination are still unknown, human sewage in the marine environment is the likely culprit in this outbreak.
People in the United States have also become sick from eating these Canadian raw oysters.
Norovirus is actually the most common cause of food-borne illness caused by the consumption of bivalve shellfish contaminated with human fecal matter. In fact, some recent research done in the United Kingdom found that almost 70 per cent of the raw oysters sold in the U.K. contain norovirus, although it is uncertain if all of the virus is actually infectious.
Oyster-associated norovirus outbreaks commonly result from contamination at the source in the growing waters. Oyster beds themselves can become contaminated due to land-based sewage outflow or sewage disposal from oyster harvesters.
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