The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating a norovirus outbreak after oysters served at a Los Angeles County event this month made over 80 people sick.
The event was on Dec. 3, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed to USA TODAY on Friday.
The event was a Los Angeles Times 101 Best Restaurants event, according to Santa Monica Seafood, a company involved in the situation.
According to the health department, over 80 attendees who ate the oysters at the event reported illnesses and gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.
The contaminated foods include Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay and Royal Miyagi oysters that were shipped by British Columbia-based company Pacific Northwest Shellfish and Union Bay Seafood.
A recall was recently issued for the oysters earlier this week, as reported by the Desert Sun, a part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.
They were harvested between Dec. 1 and Dec. 9 from British Columbia, Canada, and sold to restaurants and food retailers in Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Related: California warns of norovirus Infections in Canadian raw oysters served in restaurants
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also issued a statement on Wednesday to let restaurants, retailers and consumers know to avoid the contaminated oysters.
The Los Angeles Times did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.
Where did the oysters come from?
According to Santa Monica Seafood, the investigation is ongoing, but the norovirus likely originated in British Columbia.
“There is no evidence to suggest mishandling at any point in the supply chain, including by Santa Monica Seafood or any of the restaurants participating in the LA Times event,” the company said.
Santa Monica Seafood said in its own statement that retailers who have the oysters should stop distributing them and destroy them. The oysters need to be returned to the company or labeled “Not safe, do not touch,” the company said.
Santa Monica Seafood said the company has been working with “both the California Department of Public Health and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, who have expressed their satisfaction with our swift and transparent response.”
How to know what oysters are part of the recall
The pack dates on the oysters are Nov. 25 or later, and the oysters are labeled with the cert. numbers: BC 740 SP and BC 6001 SP.
They were harvested in the following areas in British Columbia:
What is norovirus?
Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting, diarrhea and foodborne illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control of Prevention (CDC).
Norovirus causes gastroenteritis, an inflammation of the stomach or intestines and patients normally develop symptoms 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to the virus.
Most people with norovirus get better within one to three days, the CDC said.
According to the CDC, individuals can become sick with norovirus by having direct contact with people who already have it. This can happen while caring for them, sharing food or eating utensils with them, or eating food handled by them.
People also contract norovirus by eating food or drinking liquids that are contaminated with it or touching contaminated objects or surfaces and then putting their unwashed fingers in their mouths.
According to the CDC, people can spread norovirus for 2 weeks or more after they feel better.
How to prevent the spread of norovirus
To prevent the spread of norovirus, the CDC said it’s best to:
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Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the toilet or changing diapers, before eating, preparing or handling food or giving yourself or someone else medicine.
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Use hand sanitizers IN ADDITION TO hand washing because hand sanitizer is not a substitute for handwashing.
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Carefully wash fruits and vegetables well.
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Cook oysters and other shellfish to an internal temperature of at least 145°F.
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Routinely clean kitchen utensils, cutting boards, counters, and surfaces, especially after working with shellfish.
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Keep raw oysters away from ready-to-eat food in the grocery cart, refrigerator, and on cutting boards.
How long can norovirus last?
Someone sickened by norovirus will usually experience symptoms within 12 to 48 hours after coming into contact with it, according to the state health department. While symptoms last one to three days, a person can still be contagious for up to two weeks and longer, even after they feel better.
Is California experiencing an increase in norovirus outbreaks?
Although the number of norovirus outbreaks was slightly higher based on more than a dozen states participating in NoroSTAT, California’s total number is less than last year so far. However, the state has seen a recent increase in wastewater levels of norovirus.
From January to November, California has seen 55 laboratory-confirmed norovirus outbreaks, the California Department of Public Health said in an email to The Desert Sun. In the same period last year, 18 more confirmed norovirus outbreaks occurred.
However, many outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses suspected to be caused by norovirus aren’t laboratory-confirmed, which is a “major limitation” of the data, said the public health department.
The number of norovirus outbreaks this year is comparable to the 56 laboratory-confirmed outbreaks in 2022 for the same period, according to the public health department. The highest number of confirmed norovirus outbreaks in California between January and November in the past five years occurred in 2019, with 76 cases.
Still, the number of outbreaks isn’t always representative of the “overall community burden,” partly because many outbreaks aren’t laboratory-confirmed and because the outbreaks can vary greatly in the number of people impacted.
Recently, the public health department has detected elevated wastewater levels of norovirus compared to this period last year. Wastewater monitoring data “serves as one indicator of emerging trends of norovirus activity.”
“Continued increases in wastewater data would suggest a corresponding rise in norovirus activity and increased potential for outbreaks,” said the public health department.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Norovirus sickens 80 people after eating oysters at LA Times event
