For thousands of years, oysters have been regarded as natural aphrodisiacs.
This was far from the case for raw oyster consumers in Louisiana and Mississippi in the past few weeks. Almost a dozen people in Mississippi reported getting ill after consuming oysters obtained from Louisiana’s Area 7.
The FDA announced on March 27 that there has been a norovirus outbreak in Louisiana and Mississippi resulting from the consumption of oysters obtained from Louisiana’s Area 7. Area 7 is in the Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of the Mississippi River.
The association of the illness with the oysters was discovered after nearly 12 people reported that they had fallen ill with a norovirus after consuming raw oysters from the effected regions.
Health officials are investigating the cause. Norovirus is a food borne pathogen that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramping, chills, low-grade fever, headaches, muscle aches, and lethargic feelings. Symptoms typically last for one or two days. Public health agencies have been notified about the risk of norovirus associated with oysters obtained from Area 7.
