State warns not to eat raw oysters

About 48 people have been sickened from eating raw oysters from Puget Sound area waters since July 10, and state health officials are warning that all shellfish should be cooked.

Two people have been hospitalized in the outbreak, stemming from infection with the naturally-occurring bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus, authorities said.

"It's been caused by an odd combination of high temperatures and very low tides. The oysters are out in the heat and bacteria multiply," said Donn Moyer, a spokesman for the State Department of Health.

Moyer said the oysters have come from the south end of Hood Canal. Three oyster growing areas in the canal and Totten and Eld inlets have been closed to commercial harvesting of oysters for raw consumption, he said. Illnesses also have been reported in other states and Canadian provinces from eating shellfish from the Pacific Northwest.

Symptoms of the bacterial infection include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. They can last three to five days.

Shellfish growers and restaurant and grocery associations have been notified of the outbreak. Shellfish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees, authorities said.

Recreational shellfish harvesters should look for warning signs on beaches and at marinas. Notification of closed areas is on the health department's Biotoxin Web site: http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/biotoxin.htm or the hotline 1-800-562-5632.