North Carolina restaurants and stores may be impacted by a recall issued for any shell and shucked oysters harvested between Nov. 17 and Dec. 7 in the southeastern Galveston Bay, Texas, designated TX1.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services officials announced the recall Wednesday.
There have been numerous cases nationwide, officials said, adding that they have been made aware of gastrointestinal illness in people in North Carolina who had reported eating oysters associated with the recall.
DHHS officials said they and the Department of Environmental Quality were working in partnership with local health departments to ensure food establishments are aware of the recall, that the recalled product is discarded and any illness complaints are reported.
Anyone currently experiencing an oyster-related illness such as fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, chills and headache should seek medical attention. Contact your local health department to report an oyster-related illness
Officials recommend that consumers who purchased Texas oysters since Nov. 17 check the packaging to see if they were harvested in the TX1 area, and if the oysters were unpackaged, contact the seller to find the source. Restaurants should contact their distributor for information on the source of their oysters. Any oysters from TX1 should be discarded.
