Virginia state health officials have shut down all shellfish harvesting on the Little Wicomico River in Northumberland County as a precaution after several people became ill with Salmonella.
This latest outbreak, which first emerged in Pennsylvania, has now been traced to shellfish harvested from the Little Wicomico River.
The outbreak has so far led to five confirmed cases and has resulted in the closure of all shellfish harvesting activity on the river until 7 November.
Specifically, this action also applies to bivalve molluscs, including clams and oysters, but not crab or finfish, also known as “true fish”.
The closure of the river has been made following a direct recommendation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Virginia’s Department of Health has clarified that the harvesting shutdown will have no impact on drinking water in the county.
In a statement, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) said: “Effective October 9, out of an abundance of caution, VDH announced that the waters in the Little Wicomico River in Northumberland County are closed to the harvesting of oysters and clams due to a link to a Salmonella outbreak in Pennsylvania.
“VDH was recently notified of a Salmonella outbreak in Pennsylvania that has been epidemiologically linked to shellfish harvested from this area. VDH is currently conducting testing of shellfish in the implicated area.”
Symptoms caused by Salmonella usually include fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises affected customers experiencing these symptoms to stay away from work, school or nursery until they have been symptom-free for at least 48 hours to avoid passing the infection on to others.
This latest outbreak follows a difficult year for the US food industry, after almost 2,000 cases of food poisoning were linked to shredded lettuce produced in Mexico.
