Follow-Up: Virginia Counts 55 Illnesses in Oyster Salmonella Outbreak Across 19 States, Above CDC's Figure of 27
Virginia: A Salmonella outbreak linked to oysters from Virginia's Little Wicomico River now carries a second, larger official count. The Virginia Department of Health has documented 55 patients across 19 states, with illnesses beginning in late May and running through October 6. GSM reported on October 20 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in its October 19 update, counted 27 illnesses in 12 states, with five hospitalizations and no deaths. (GSM, based on Food Safety News' summary of CDC and Virginia Department of Health data)
The two figures differ because they measure different things: the CDC's 27 cases form a genomic subcluster of Salmonella Telelkebir closely matched to the outbreak strain, while Virginia's 55 is a broader count of outbreak-associated illnesses. The CDC notes that it typically takes three to four weeks for a patient sample to be sequenced and matched to an outbreak, and estimates that for every confirmed Salmonella patient there are about 29 who are not detected, so the true number of illnesses is likely higher than either count.
On traceback, the CDC obtained shellfish tag and traceback records for seven of ten patients who reported eating raw oysters, and the only source common to all seven was oysters harvested by the Little Wicomico Oyster Company from the Little Wicomico River. The company has voluntarily recalled whole in-shell oysters harvested between September 18 and October 8, and the Virginia Department of Health has issued an emergency condemnation order temporarily closing the downstream portion of the river to shellfish harvesting, a closure expected to remain in place through November 7. Georgia's Department of Agriculture says Publix sold the recalled oysters as "James River Oysters" through October 14, five days after the recall was issued.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall notice, the oysters were distributed to restaurants and retailers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C., with possible further distribution. Symptoms of Salmonella infection usually begin six hours to six days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps; the FDA says food containing Salmonella may look, smell and taste normal, and thorough cooking kills the bacteria.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：餐厅供应的生蚝（资料图）。CC0 图片，经维基共享资源（Unsplash）。Photo: Raw oysters served at a restaurant (file photo). CC0 image via Wikimedia Commons (Unsplash).
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- 2026-10-22Follow-Up: Virginia Counts 55 Illnesses in Oyster Salmonella Outbreak Across 19 States, Above CDC's Figure of 27This story
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