Following an outbreak of stomach-churning bacterial infections, Vancouver Coastal Health has banned Vancouver restaurants from serving raw B.C oysters.
According to health officials, there has been 31 reported illnesses related to vibrio parahaemolyticus, which is a natural bacterium in coastal waters that is known to cause fevers, cramps, vomiting, and watery diarrhea. Symptoms of the illness include headaches and bloody stools.
While 31 doesn’t sound like an alarming number of people infected, health officials point out that majority of foodborne illnesses are never reported, and the number of people infected is likely much higher.
In addition to oysters, vibrio parahaemolyticus is also naturally occurring in mussels, clams, and scallops. The rise of the bacteria is due to this summers hotter than usual temperatures, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
There is an exception to the ban however, restaurants wishing to serve B.C. oysters must serve them cooked – which ultimately defeats the purpose. The safest bet is to order oysters harvested in other parts of Canada.
