Eating raw seafood can make you sick
Raw oysters on the half shellMany seafood restaurants feature "raw bars" that serve raw oysters on the half shell. Oysters are usually presented six to a plate and served with wedges of lemon and condiments such as hot sauce or shrimp cocktail sauce made from catsup, chili sauce, and horseradish. This dish is nutritious and delicious when the oysters are harvested from clean waters and maintained under refrigeration from the time that they are collected to the time that they are served.
People who eat raw seafood food, such as oysters, sushi, and ceviche risk being infected by tapeworms and roundworms. Raw oysters may also harbor protozoan parasites and bacteria. During the warm summer months the bacterial load of oysters may increase. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning on August 10, 2007 after at least six people in California and Washington came down with an illness caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria. Symptoms of vibriosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. The symptoms generally occur within 24 hours of exposure and last about three days.
Raw seafood has some health risks that can be eliminated by cooking. You can learn more by visiting the web site of the Centers for Disease Control which has a database about the life cycle of parasites.
© Copyright - Antonio Zamora
