Twenty people have fallen ill after consuming contaminated mussels in Oregon due to toxins contained in the mollusks.
The affected individuals reported harvesting mussels at Short Beach near Oceanside in Tillamook County, and Hug Point and near Seaside in Clatsop County. Several of the cases required hospitalization, but no deaths have been reported.
Authorities have closed a stretch of the Oregon coast from Seal Rock State Park north to Cape Lookout due to high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning. The closure was subsequently extended to the border with the State of Washington.
The danger is limited to mussels harvested by private individuals and does not affect commercially available mussels.
People are advised to avoid harvesting mussels from the affected areas until further notice to prevent new cases of poisoning, and it is recommended to throw away mussels caught in contaminated areas.
Oregon: Paralitics shellfish poisoning
Type of event:
Biological agent spread or incident, Disease/Outbreak
20
May 28, 2024