An outbreak of paralytic shellfish poisoning that sickened at least 20 people is prompting health officials to urge people who harvested mussels from a stretch of Oregon’s coast since Saturday to discard them.
Officials at the Oregon Health Authority also recommend people who experience any symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning – numbness of the mouth and lips, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and in severe cases, shortness of breath or irregular heartbeat – immediately contact a health care provider. They can also get advice by calling the Oregon Poison Center at 800-222-1222.
All 20 people who fell ill reported recreationally harvesting mussels Saturday or Sunday at Short Beach near Oceanside in Tillamook County, and Hug Point and near Seaside in Clatsop County. Some of the cases have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.
The OHA’s recommendations only apply to mussels harvested by private individuals, not those harvested commercially and purchased in a grocery store or at a restaurant.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Agriculture closed a stretch of the coast to mussel harvesting from Seal Rock State Park north to Cape Lookout due to high levels of PSP. On Sunday, the mussel harvest closure was extended from Seal Rock to the Washington border.
“We have two messages: If you have any mussels gathered since Saturday from beaches within the area of coastline that ODFW and ODA closed to harvesting – that you are preparing for a meal or keeping in the freezer for a later time – throw them out now and do not feed them to pets,” said Emilio DeBess, epidemiologist at the Oregon Public Health Division. “And if you have eaten any of these mussels and are feeling ill, see a doctor right away.”
The mussel closure is not related to the tar balls showing up on the same stretch of beaches, the agencies said.
Mussel harvesting remains open from Seal Rock State Park to the California border.
The state will continue testing for shellfish toxins at least twice per month, as tides and weather permit. Reopening an area closed for biotoxins requires two consecutive tests with results below the closure limit. For more information call the state’s shellfish biotoxin hotline at 800-448-2474, the food safety program at 503-986-4720.
Please clarify: Was the beach open or closed to musseling? Did the people think they were musseling an open beach, or was it closed and they had failed to check the Shellfish Hotline?