Inspections have been carried out in restaurants in Helsinki and food samples have been collected due to the suspected cases of food poisoning. We are still waiting for the results. Based on patient specimens, the food poisonings were caused by the norovirus.
The suspicion of food poisoning concerns oysters supplied by several importers. The countries of origin of the products are the Netherlands, France, Spain and Ireland.
Oysters filter in noroviruses while living in water contaminated with human faeces. If the oysters have been contaminated with norovirus, the people eating the oysters may fall ill. Restaurants are unable to detect the norovirus in oysters, and heating the oysters briefly may not kill the virus.
Norovirus is destroyed by heating the food stuff to +90 degrees Celcius for two minutes.
The incubation period of norovirus is approximately 12–48 hours from consumption. The symptoms typically include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. The virus spreads easily in families and other contacts.
Infected persons are requested to report suspected food poisonings
We hope that diners who suspect that they fell ill after consuming oysters in December contact food control by using an electronic food poisonings form(Link leads to external service) (available in Finnish and Swedish). The illness may have followed eating at a restaurant or consuming oysters bought from a shop.
If a restaurant or other food industry operator receives a report of food poisoning from a customer, the operator has a statutory obligation to notify the municipal food control authority immediately. The notification must be submitted at ilppa.fi(Link leads to external service) (available in Finnish and Swedish).
“Cases of food poisoning related to oysters are investigated in Helsinki and Finland at large every year. Eating raw oysters always carries a risk, even though not all oysters are contaminated,” says Director of the Food Safety Unit Riikka Åberg.
The Food Safety Unit will continue to investigate the epidemic in cooperation with the City of Helsinki Epidemiological operations.
