MANCHESTER, Mo. — A man has died after he recently consumed raw oysters from a seafood stand in Manchester, Missouri, officials say.
In a news release, the Saint Louis County Department of Public Health is advising anyone who bought any oysters recently from the Fruit Stand & Seafood in Manchester to throw them out after learning that a man died after he consumed some raw oysters.
The Department of Public Health said there is no evidence that the business did anything to contaminate the oysters and believes they were contaminated when the business got them.
A 54-year-old man was reportedly infected with the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, according to KMOV. The bacteria is usually carried by oysters and other shellfish.
The man was believed to have eaten some raw oysters from the business over the past week, the news outlet reported. He died at a hospital on Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that about 80,000 people get infected with vibriosis in the United States every year, according to The Associated Press. The CDC says that about 100 people die from it.
Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus can include abdominal cramping, nausea, fever, chills, and vomiting, according to KMOV. Anyone who was eaten raw oysters and is showing any of the symptoms should get medical care.
Tips to risk your risk from the bacteria according to the CDC per the Department of Public Health include cooking oysters and seafood before eating them, washing your hands with soap after handling raw shellfish, avoiding contaminating cooked shellfish with raw shellfish, stay of out of salt water or brackish water when you have a wound, and wash your cuts and wounds with soap and water.
The Fruit Stand & Seafood is cooperating with the investigation, according to KMOV.