Fears suspect Tasmanian oysters sold interstate
Tasmania's oyster industry has been left reeling after a gastroenteritis outbreak that may have spread to two other states.
More than 60 Tasmanians have contracted gastroenteritis after eating Barilla Bay oysters grown at Dunalley in the state's south.
Health authorities believe the oysters may have been contaminated by human waste dumped from a recreational boat, but investigations are continuing.
There are another 20 suspected cases in Melbourne and health authorities are on alert in Sydney after 1,000 potentially contaminated oysters were sent to the two cities.
Five growing zones in southern Tasmania have now been closed.
The product has now been withdrawn from sale and Tasmania's oyster industry has been left reeling.
While only one lease is affected, Tom Lewis from Oysters Tasmania says the outbreak has damaged the industry.
"It affects cash flow, it affects reputation of course," he said.
Barilla Bay's Justin Goc says the situation is one of the hardest situations he had had to deal with.
"The safety of our customers and the loyal customers over the last 20 years - it's very important to us," he said.
"It's just gut wrenching for our business and our industry to be faced with this. I can only heartily apologise for what's going on."
Tasmania's director of public health Roscoe Taylor earlier said tests were yet to confirm if the cases in Melbourne are linked to the Tasmanian oysters.
"We're still trying to establish what's happened in Victoria, but the retail outlet there reported they'd had a number of callers who reported sickness following consumption of those oysters," he said.
"I've contacted the chief health officer in Victoria to arrange communications about any case reports they receive.
"Our focus will be on confirming more cases of illness, plus starting a sanitary inspection."
Dr Taylor said a recreational boater could have caused the contamination.
"Someone on board may have had multiple episodes of diarrhoea and pumped out the toilet aboard into the water surrounding," he said.
"When people have gastroenteritis from norovirus they typically get either vomiting or diarrhoea or both, and it lasts for 24, 48 hours.
"Some of these people are also having fever, muscle aches and pain."
Tests have found no issues with surrounding settling ponds or sewerage.
It is the first outbreak of its kind in Tasmania.
The state's oyster industry is worth more than $20 million annually and employs about 300 people.
Source: ABC News, 3 April 2013
