Oysters cause illness in British Columbia

 

 

The health department says 64 people have been sickened after eating raw oysters at restaurants and retail locations in British Columbia. The BC Centre for Disease Control and the provincial health authority said in a joint statement that the gastrointestinal illness is similar to that of norovirus.

The illness has been reported in Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and Island Health since November 1. Symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Some people have gone to emergency rooms with these symptoms, but no one has been hospitalized, officials say. The statement says norovirus is common in the winter and can cause severe symptoms, including dehydration. It can be serious for the elderly and the young. Oyster harvesting has been temporarily banned in some parts of the province following the report of the illness.