Question

Is there any way to contract hepatitis from eating raw oysters?

Answer

Yes! - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta now recommend eating all shellfish only after they have been thoroughly cooked to reduce your chances of exposure to toxic bacteria and viruses associated with the following diseases:

- Hepatitis A (infectious hepatitis) -- a potentially serious liver ailment caused by a virus that produces a number of symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, and fatigue, and signs such as fever, jaundice, and an enlarged liver.

- Norwalk-like virus - causes "cruise-ship" gastroenteritis

- Hepatitis E - less serious than hepatitis A

- Various enteroviruses

- Bacterial disease, due to infection by Vibrio parahemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, or V. cholerae (cholera!).

See the link below for more information.

Links

• Florida Department of Health