OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington health officials say five people in the state got sick from eating raw oysters that were harvested from an area of Puget Sound’s Hood Canal and distributed to 23 states.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday warned the oysters could be contaminated with a bacteria that causes an illness called vibriosis (vib-RO’-sis). The FDA says it has no reports of hospitalization or death.
Washington health spokesman Donn Moyer on Tuesday said Washington has not received reports of illnesses in other states. He says three illnesses are confirmed, and tests are pending on two cases.
He says multiple companies have recalled oysters harvested between Aug. 30 and Sept. 19. The growing area is in Mason, Jefferson and Kitsap counties.
The state says it typically sees about 50 cases of vibriosis a year.
