2023-12-29 11:35:20
The ax fell this Wednesday, December 27, following numerous cases of collective food poisoning.
In a press release (Source 1), the Gironde prefecture decided “to temporarily prohibit fishing, harvesting and marketing activities intended for human consumption of shellfish from the Arcachon Basin, including the Banc d’Arguin”.
Thus, since this Wednesday evening, the batches of shellfish harvested or fished must be removed from sale, and recreational shellfish fishing in the area is also prohibited. The local authorities specify that this drastic measure will be withdrawn as soon as the health quality of the shellfish is become once more “fully satisfactory”.
Why such a ban?
Several cases of collective food poisoning have been reported, and have been reported to the health authorities. The Gironde prefecture indicates that if traceability investigations are underway, “several reports indicate that oysters from the Arcachon Basin are involved”. “Analyzes carried out on oysters farmed in the Arcachon Bay confirm the presence of norovirus”, a virus that can cause symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, with vomiting and/or diarrhea, and great fatigue.
In the local press and on social networks, testimonies are multiplying. And although no serious cases have been reported, some infected people indicate having been “well shaken”.
Note that the ban will end when health checks will attest to the safety of the oysters and other shellfish from the Arcachon basin, which might take several weeks. Unmarketed oysters can thus be returned to the tank until then.
What to do if you have eaten oysters from the Arcachon Bay?
People who have recently consumed oysters or other shellfish from the Arcachon Basin are invited to monitor their symptoms, and to apply the following precautions. barrier gestures used once morest gastroenteritis (regular and careful hand washing in particular).
In the event of complications, in particular diarrhea and vomiting persistentrespiratory distress, severe dehydration or deterioration of general condition (drowsiness, loss of consciousness, confusion), you must dial 15 or 112.
Let us also remember that, to the extent that a virus is visibly involved, the use of antibiotics is not recommended apart from a medical prescription justifying it.
What if we still have some in our possession?
Since oysters can easily be kept for several days in the refrigerator, it is likely that many consumers still have them in stock. They are invited not to consume them and to return them to the point of sale for a refund. “People who have shellfish from these areas are asked not to consume them and to return them to the point of sale.”, indicates the prefectural press release.
A phenomenon linked to recent floods
In a press release that our colleagues from France Info have obtained, the Arcachon Aquitaine Regional Shellfish Culture Committee (CRCAA) explains that this situation results from a “saturation of wastewater and rainwater networks” linked to recent heavy rains and floods, which caused “overflows into the natural environment”, including in oyster farming areas.
Which confirms the statements of the National Health Safety Agency, which, on its page dedicated to food poisoning linked to norovirus (Source 2), indicates that in the event of heavy rainfall or accidental release, “more or less diluted wastewater discharges can reach coastal areas, or even shellfish farming areas. The virus does not multiply in the environment or in oysters. Oysters, however, concentrate virusesand the viral load is sometimes sufficient to generate cases of infection in humans”. All that remains is to wait to be able to consume shellfish from Arcachon once more, and to refer to shellfish from other regions in the meantime.
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