Health officials in Missouri have issued a warning after a man died from eating raw oysters he purchased at a food stand.
Per a regional report from Fox 2 Now, the oysters in question were bought at Fruit Stand & Seafood in the Manchester area. The 54-year-old man’s death was announced on Friday via a health alert from the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.
“There is no evidence that the business did anything to contaminate the oysters, which likely were already contaminated when the establishment received them,” health officials said in a news release, adding that “all remaining oysters” from the business had been seized.
As an investigation continues into the original source of the offending oysters, a smattering of initial information has been publicly released. Per local health officials, the 54-year-old died last Thursday after being infected with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria.
The CDC’s advice on such bacteria notes that the majority of Vibrio infections originating from oysters only cause minor symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. Vibrio vulnificus, however, causes more severe infections; the agency estimates that as many as 30 percent of such infections are deadly. Those most at risk usually have an already compromised immune system. Symptoms from this type of infection include (but are not limited to) abdominal cramps and fever.
As the investigation continues, those in the region who have recently bought oysters from the Manchester business have been warned against ingesting them.
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