Salmonella outbreak linked to raw oysters sickens 64 people, including 7 New Yorkers, CDC says

A salmonella outbreak linked to raw oysters has sickened seven New Yorkers and more than 50 others nationwide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Across 22 states, 64 people have been sickened by a strain of salmonella linked to raw oysters, according to a map on the CDC's website. Twenty of those infected have been hospitalized, which represents “a higher rate than expected when compared to other Salmonella outbreaks linked to oysters,” the CDC said in a news release issued Tuesday. No deaths have been reported.

No recall has been issued related to the salmonella outbreak, the CDC said.

Spokespeople for the Nassau and Suffolk health departments did not immediately respond to Newsday’s inquiries regarding whether their residents have been impacted by the outbreak. A spokesperson for the New York State Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Salmonella sickness generally lasts from four to seven days and usually does not require treatment, according to the CDC. Symptoms including cramps, diarrhea and fever can present anywhere from six hours to six days after exposure to the bacteria. Adults aged 65 and older, children under the age of five and anyone with a compromised immune system are most vulnerable to severe illness that could require hospitalization.

While the CDC is not urging seafood lovers to avoid oysters due to the outbreak, the agency advises people to cook them, as “raw oysters can be contaminated with germs at any time of year,” according to its website. There are no visible indications that a raw oyster might be infected.

Oysters can be boiled or steamed in their shells and consumed only if the cooking process causes the shells to open, according to the CDC’s website. They can be boiled until they open or added to a boiling steamer and cooked for four to nine minutes

Oysters already out of their shells can be cooked in a variety of ways until they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees sustained for at least 15 seconds, the CDC said. Seafood cooks can boil them for at least three minutes, broil them three inches from heat for three minutes, oil-fry them at 375 degrees for at least three minutes or bake them at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.

Neither lemon nor hot sauce will eradicate germs on infected seafood, the CDC said.

The CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are seeking a common source of the infected oysters, according to the CDC’s news release. Health officials are determining the foods infected individuals ate during the week before their illness.

Anyone experiencing vomiting with an inability to hold liquids, dehydration, diarrhea and a temperature above 102 degrees, more than three days of diarrhea or bloody diarrhea should immediately seek medical attention, the CDC said.