FDA Issues Warning About Raw Oysters After Illnesses In Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, NV — Anyone who recently consumed raw oysters in 13 states, including Nevada, should seek medical care, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a news release Tuesday. The agency said the warning was especially important for anyone who is or could become pregnant, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.

At least one person was confirmed to have contracted sapovirus, with nine others suspected of having the illness, in cases potentially linked to the consumption of raw oysters harvested in South Korea in early February and distributed to restaurants and food stores, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

The district notified the Food and Drug Administration of two clusters of illnesses in people who ate raw oysters at a restaurant in Las Vegas on October 28 and November 5, the news release said.

The frozen half-shell oysters were also distributed in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The Food and Drug Administration said it has advised restaurants and food stores to not sell oysters harvested on February 6, in the South Korean district where the illness is believed to have originated.

Sapoviruses are more comment in children under age 5 than in adults, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain, which typically develop 12 to 48 hours after infection and last one to four days.