Texas Oysters Recalled After “A Few Dozen” People Sickened

It’s been a rough few weeks for oysters.

On the heels of last month’s recall of potentially contaminated raw oysters from South Korea that were distributed across much of the South, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has ordered a recall of all oysters harvested in the TX 1 area of southeastern Galveston Bay. 

The recall follows reports of a few dozen cases of gastrointestinal illness among people—including 19 restaurant diners in Louisiana—who ate raw oysters harvested from those waters between November 17 and December 7. 

"DSHS epidemiologists are working with local health departments to investigate cases of illness, and DSHS will test water samples collected in the recall area to determine when it may safely reopen to oyster harvesting,” DSHS said in a statement. “No other species of seafood is affected.”

Texas DSHS advises consumers who purchased Texas oysters since November 17 to check the packaging to see if they were harvested in TX 1. If the oysters were unpackaged, they should contact the seller to learn the source. All oysters from TX 1 should be discarded.

TX 1 was closed to harvesting on December 8 after reports from health departments in Southeast Texas and Florida that people who had consumed oysters from the area had gotten sick. Reported symptoms include fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, chills, and headache. People experiencing any of these symptoms after eating oysters should contact their health care provider and tell them about the exposure to oysters. 

For more information visit dshs.texas.gov.