The Tamesis
Federal officials on Monday recalled clams and raw oysters sold in at least nine states because worried that they might Contaminated by norovirus, contagious infection Commonly known as “stomach flu”.
According to a notification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recalled clams were harvested by the Lummi Indian Business Council and distributed to restaurants and food retailers in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Oregon and Washington. Other states may also have received the clams.
The oysters are harvested by the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company and distributed to consumers in Washington. Both products were harvested from February 13 to March 3 in Port Drayton, Washington.
“The FDA is issuing this alert to advise restaurants and food retailers not to offer or sell, and consumers not to eat, certain raw oysters harvested by the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company and Manila clams harvested by the Lummi Indian Business Council,” the FDA said.
The product may “look, smell and taste normal”
The FDA warns that foods containing norovirus may “look, smell and taste normal” but may cause serious illness if eaten.
Common norovirus symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. This disease causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines and may be more severe in people who are immunocompromised. It usually takes 12 to 48 hours for someone to start showing symptoms of norovirus, and up to three days to recover.
Norovirus is highly contagious and can be spread through direct contact with an infected person or through contaminated food, water and objects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The FDA said Monday that consumers experiencing norovirus symptoms should contact their health care provider.
