Illnesses have been linked to oysters harvested from seven lease sites in the bay. However, in a Thursday night meeting with TDH officials, the leaseholders volunteered to give up their harvesting permits for all lease sites in the bay as a precautiona measure. Wiles said TDH will continue its investigation and will reassess the situation in a couple of weeks to determine if harvesting can be resumed. Yesterday, TDH issued an advisory urging people not to consume oysters from Galveston Bay unless the oysters are thoroughly cooked. Health officials say the risk of illness from eating other seafood from the bay is minimal because these other forms usually are not eaten raw.
Thorough cooking destroys the bacteria.
Officials say it is not unusual for Vibrio parahaemolyticus to be found in raw oysters but usually at levels that do not cause health problems. The bacteria naturally occur in marine coastal waters year-round but are more abundant in warm weather. Symptoms include watery diarrhea and abdominal cramps, sometimes accompanied by nausea, vomiting, fever and headache. The incubation period varies from four to 30 hours. The illness usually lasts from one to seven days.