The Connecticut Department of Agriculture has ordered shellfish beds closed in Norwalk and Westport, and the Darien Health Department has closed them in this town, as well, as a precautionary measure.
The Darien Health Department published this statement on its Web page:
Notice of Shellfish Closure
Recreational Shellfishing in Norwalk, Westport and Darien
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Effective Date: 08/02/13
Effective 08/02/13, a commercial shellfish closure and recall is being implemented in a portion of the Norwalk and Westport growing area. Oysters and clams harvested from the waters of Norwalk and Westport inside the Norwalk islands have been implicated as the source of a number of illnesses related to the naturally occurring bacteria Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
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As a precaution, recreational harvesting of shellfish in Norwalk, Westport and Darien is closed until further notice. At this time, there have been no illnesses associated with Darien. Closure of the recreational areas is precautionary.
Norwalk Health Department sent out a news release Monday about the closure. No news release was received by Darien Patch from Darien town government, nor is the closure mentioned on the town government website's Home page.Here's the Norwalk Health Deprtment news release:
"NORWALK, Connecticut (August 5, 2013) – All recreational shellfishing areas in Norwalk, Westport, and Darien and multiple commercial shellfish beds in Norwalk and Westport are closed until further notice. The closures are due to illnesses caused by the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The Norwalk Health Department is working with state officials, commercial shellfishers, restaurants, and the public to prevent illness from this bacterium.
"Commercial shellfishers have been notified and are working on a recall of oysters and clams harvested from these areas between July 3, 2013 and August 2, 2013. To prevent further illness, recreational shellfishing should stop, and any shellfish harvested from these areas should be destroyed immediately.
"There have been three confirmed cases of illness from Vibrio parahaemolyticus associated with this recall. According to state officials, the symptoms of foodborne Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection include watery diarrhea, often with abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Symptoms typically occur within 24 hours of consumption of the contaminated shellfish and can last about up to 7 days. Immune compromised people and those with certain medical conditions including liver disease are at greatest for foodborne disease. If you are experiencing these symptoms and believe they may be related to contaminated shellfish, contact your doctor."
(The Connecticut Health Department published a similar news release about the shellfishing closures in Norwalk and Westport.)
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