Alberta Health Services asks the public to avoid raw shellfish
CBC News | Posted: January 20, 2017 5:12 PM | Last Updated: January 20, 2017
Edmonton zone has 10 cases of gastrointestinal illness potentially linked to raw oysters
Alberta Health Services is investigating 10 cases in the Edmonton Zone of gastrointestinal illness potentially linked to raw oysters.
The people whose illnesses are currently under investigation experienced their symptoms between Jan. 10 and Jan. 12.
Dr. Joanna Oda, Edmonton zone medical officer of health with Alberta Health Services, said investigators are still working to determine where the oysters came from.
"[The 10 people] all have a common source of having consumed oysters," Oda said Friday. "We're still not sure about the actual source of those oysters."
Symptoms linked to contaminated raw oysters or shellfish include watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
People can also experience nausea, vomiting, fever, headache and bloody stools.
Oda said at this point AHS is not qualifying it as an outbreak.
"It's a cluster, because we don't know if the oysters came from the same source.
"And we don't know if the oysters are the actual source of these experiences. At this time we just know that this was the one common link between the 10."
To reduce the risk of illness, AHS advises the public to eat only properly cooked shellfish. Oysters specifically should be cooked to an internal temperature of 90 C for 90 seconds.
Mussels, oysters and scallops with shells that don't open after they are cook should be thrown out.
AHS also recommends wearing gloves while handling shellfish, and to always keep them refrigerated.
People who develop symptoms within 10 to 50 hours after eating raw shellfish should contact the health link line at 811, AHS said.