An event celebrating Los Angeles’ top restaurants sickened at least 80 people in an outbreak of norovirus linked to raw oysters, the LA County Department of Public Health confirmed to ABC News.
The reveal stemmed from a Dec. 3 event at the Hollywood Palladium to celebrate the Los Angeles Times’ 101 Best Restaurants list, according to the agency.
Shot of raw oysters.
STOCK PHOTO/Adobe Stock
Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea and is commonly called the “stomach flu” or “stomach bug,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Other symptoms may include stomach ache, fever, headache, body ache or dehydration. Proper hand washing, disinfecting contaminated surfaces, washing clothes in hot water, and staying home when sick are all ways to spread the virus, according to the CDC.
“At this time, more than 80 participants who consumed the oysters have reported illness,” a Los Angeles County Department of Public Health spokesperson said in a statement.
The oysters that have since been served and recalled have been Pacific Northwest Shellfish Co.’s Fanny Bay Select oysters and Fanny Bay XS oysters, according to the release.
The oyster package date was Nov. 25 or later and the recall date was Dec. 13, the agency added.
Raw oysters on ice.
STOCK PHOTO/Adobe Stock
After the call, US Food and Drug Administration On December 18, it issued a warning to restaurants, retailers and consumers not to sell or eat the oysters in question due to norovirus contamination.
The warning targeted 15 states across the country from Hawaii, California and Arizona to Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York. The FDA said the outbreak originated in British Columbia, Canada.
Santa Monica Seafood, which supplied the oysters for the event, said in a statement to ABC News that the company is “aware of the ongoing investigation into the recent foodborne illness outbreak associated with oysters served” and is cooperating with the Department of Public Health.
The retailer added that while the investigation is ongoing, “There is no evidence to suggest wrongdoing at any point in the supply chain, including by Santa Monica Seafood or any of the restaurants participating in the LA Times event.”
Tickets for the Los Angeles Times restaurant event related to the explosion cost upwards of $264 for VIP general admission and upwards of $600.
ABC News has reached out to the LA Times for comment.
