40 illnesses reported as B.C. officials warn of norovirus outbreak
VANCOUVER — Health officials in British Columbia have closed two oyster farms amid an investigation into another outbreak of norovirus linked to the consumption of raw oysters.
The BC Centre for Disease Control says there have been about 40 cases of the acute stomach upset since early March and all those who became ill reported eating raw oysters from B.C.
The centre says laboratory testing confirms the presence of norovirus in some of the cases and the illness is suspected in the rest of those who have become ill.
An exact source of the contamination has not been determined but the centre says human sewage in seawater is the most likely cause.