B.C. tackling the norovirus outbreak

The Canadian province of British Columbia is still tackling a norovirus outbreak believed to be caused by the consumption of raw oysters; a lot of people have been getting sick since last December.

The Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency(CFIA), and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans(DFO) are working hand-in-hand to figure out what went wrong but they have not able to find anything which I can assume is very frustrating. But then again, they just became their joined investigation last month.

What have they don’t so far?

The CFIA has gone to farms along the coast of the province—B.C., to carry out tests in order to figure out the source of the outbreak.

The DFO and CFIA have closed down some farms which of course means that jobs were lost. This has also affected the restaurants and eateries that depend on the industry.

Mr. Steven Pocock, President of the Shellfish Growers Association is baffled as to how all of this has happens seeing that the association has not changed anything that affects the shellfish farming.

The outbreak is so far contained within the province even though oysters are exported!

What a quagmire.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control advises that you call B.C. HealthLink at 811 when you begin throwing up after consuming shellfish.