CDC and FDA Investigate Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Raw Oysters: 27 Sickened in 12 States; Virginia Company Recalls Oysters Harvested September 18 to October 8
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on October 19 that they are investigating, with state health authorities, a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Telelkebir infections linked to raw oysters. As of October 19, 27 people in 12 states have been confirmed sick; of the 21 patients with information available, five (24%) have been hospitalized, and no deaths have been reported. Illness onset dates range from May 29 to September 14, 2026.
Of 13 patients interviewed, 10 (77%) reported eating raw oysters, far above the 1.6% background rate in CDC's FoodNet Population Survey. Traceback was possible for seven of the ten, and oysters harvested by the Little Wicomico Oyster Company from the Little Wicomico River in Virginia were the only oysters all seven had in common. Pennsylvania officials also sampled oysters at a distributor that supplied restaurants where sick people ate; one sample harvested by the company from the Little Wicomico River tested positive for Salmonella, and whole genome sequencing to determine whether it matches the outbreak strain is pending.
The company, based in Heathsville, Virginia (dealer certification VA-1421-SP), has recalled oysters harvested from the Little Wicomico River from September 18 through October 8, 2026, has contacted its customers, and has stopped harvesting from the affected area. The Virginia Department of Health temporarily closed the Little Wicomico River to shellfish harvesting effective October 9. According to the FDA, the oysters were distributed to restaurants and retailers in CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, MD, MO, NC, NJ, NV, NY, PA, TX and VA, and may have been further distributed; the FDA advises restaurants and retailers not to serve or sell, and consumers not to eat, the recalled oysters, and says they should be thrown away or returned to the distributor for destruction.
According to the FDA and CDC, symptoms of Salmonella infection usually begin 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food and can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever; otherwise healthy adults are usually sick for four to seven days, while infants, children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems face a higher risk of severe illness. Food contaminated with Salmonella does not usually look, smell or taste spoiled.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：生蚝（资料图），CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: Raw oysters (file photo), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-20CDC and FDA Investigate Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Raw Oysters: 27 Sickened in 12 States; Virginia Company Recalls Oysters Harvested September 18 to October 8This story
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