Seattle-King County releases list of raw oyster illnesses for 2021
Seattle & King County Public Health publishes an updated list of diseases related to raw oyster consumption for 2021 at kingcounty.gov/oysters. The list will continue to be updated regularly as new reports of disease related to raw oysters emerge.
Public Health notes that there were no oyster-related outbreaks in 2020 and very few other food-borne outbreaks, likely due to temporary restaurant closures and social distancing during the pandemic, so no data can be shown for that year.
In general, raw oysters are most likely to be contaminated in the water before harvest, according to Public Health. Separately, the Environmental Health Investigators conduct on-site visits for any disease reports associated with the consumption of raw oysters. This will help control risk factors that may be present and that could contribute to the spread of norovirus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The risk factors for each disease vary, but can include: oysters from unapproved sources, improper refrigeration of oysters (temperatures must be at or below 41 ° F), handling raw food in such a way that the risk of cross-contamination is minimized, food workers and diseases / or improper hand washing.
Public health routinely reports the diseases to the Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) Shellfish Program, which is responsible for tracking the locations of the oysters involved in these diseases. Several diseases that are traced back to a common growing area can lead to the closure of the affected harvest locations or other enforcement measures. Please visit the DOH Shellfish Program website for more information.
Diseases Related to Raw Oysters 2021
| Restaurant / venue / seller | Date of the meal | Number sick | Suspected organism |
| The crab pot ^ 1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle |
06/28/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| Lobster King ^ 701 8th Avenue S, Seattle |
07/02/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| The crab pot ^ 1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle |
07/02/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| Damn the weather ^ 116 1st Avenue S, Seattle |
07/03/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| Salty is on Alki ^ 1936 Harbor Ave SW, Seattle |
04/07/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| Taylor shellfish ^ 1521 Melrose Avenue, Seattle |
07/05/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| Emmett Watson’s Oyster Bar ^ 1916 Pike Pl, Seattle, WA 98101 |
07/05/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| Walrus and Carpenter ^ 4743 Ballard Ave NW # 1b, Seattle |
07/05/2021 | 1 | Vibrio |
| The crab pot ^ 1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle |
07/07/2021 | 2 | Vibrio |
| White Swan pub 1001 Fairview Avenue N, Seattle |
07/17/2021 | 2 | Vibrio |
* Disclosures previously published online at: www.kingcounty.gov/outbreak
^ Includes at least one sick person with laboratory-confirmed Vibrio parahaemolyticus
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