Health officials in a city in Finland are investigating several cases of illness caused by contaminated oysters.
Food poisoning in Helsinki is suspected to be related to eating in different restaurants and at an event since the beginning of February. This past week, officials reported at least 20 people were affected but updates in local media suggest there are around 100 illnesses.
Investigators have tested food from restaurants and taken patient samples and have found norovirus. Some of those sick reported eating oysters.
A few restaurants have already been inspected after suspected epidemics and oyster importers have started to issue withdrawals and recall.
Food safety officials in Helsinki asked people who had eaten oysters and then fallen sick to contact them.
Norovirus is the most commonly identified cause of foodborne outbreaks in Finland. Between 2017 and 2021, oysters caused 11 norovirus outbreaks in which more than 110 people fell ill, according to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
In October 2022, five people fell sick in the country after eating oysters from France contaminated with norovirus.
FoodWorld 