Raw oysters sickened more than 80 people following a possible norovirus outbreak as they celebrated the best restaurants hailed by the Los Angeles Times, health officials said.
The LA County Department of Health said the oysters were served to guests attending the LA Times’ “101 Best Restaurants” event at the Hollywood Palladium on Dec. 3, a swanky celebration where general admission costs $246 and VIP tickets can go for up to $600.
“At this time, over 80 attendees that consumed the oysters have reported illness,” the health department said in a statement as it investigates the outbreak.
Those who reported falling ill to the oysters suffered diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain, common symptoms of the extremely contagious norovirus, which is commonly referred to as the “stomach flu,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Jennifer Ragusano, one of the attendees who got sick, said she and her husband were ill for a day-and-a-half due to the oysters.
“It was coming out both ways,” she told the LA Taco, which first reported on the possible outbreak.
Ragusano said she was disappointed that the LA Times didn’t publicly disclose the incident despite knowing about the investigation and possible outbreak days before the LA Taco broke the story.
“Obviously they’re not going to print it in their paper,” Ragusano said. “But they‘re a newspaper and newspapers are supposed to share the news.
“This is how people usually find out about something like this,” she added. “It’s ironic because it happened to them.”
Hillary Manning, a spokesperson for the paper, said all safety protocols were followed for the restaurant event.
“As is the case with each of our events, we had protocols in place and, based on an inspection from the LA County Department of Public Health, we were in compliance with all relevant safety standards,” Manning told the LA Times, which eventually did cover the outbreak.
The oysters that were served at the event came from Fanny Bay Select oysters and Fanny Bay XS oysters, which have since been recalled, according to the health department.
The oysters themselves were supplied from Santa Monica Seafood, which was a sponsor of the LA Times’ event.
The company told ABC News that it was cooperating with public health officials in the investigation while insisting that it was not the cause of the outbreak.
“There is no evidence to suggest mishandling at any point in the supply chain, including by Santa Monica Seafood or any of the restaurants participating in the LA Times event,” the retailer said.
The recall notice was put out on Dec. 13, ten days after the event, with the FDA putting out a warning on Dec. 18 to restaurants and consumers not to sell or eat the oysters due to the potential norovirus contamination.
The FDA’s warning went out to California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania; as well as Washington, D.C.
The agency is investigating if the outbreak could have originated in British Columbia, Canada.
The LA case comes about a year after the FDA investigated another possible norovirus outbreak caused by raw oysters served in San Diego.
