Do oysters cause the stomach flu?
If you’re a fan of the delectable oysters, you might want to reconsider slurping on them after noting the results of this latest study.
The next time you decide to hunt down the best place for the value-for-money oysters, you might want to think twice. Especially if you don’t want to end up ill with the dreaded stomach flu.
After studying the DNA of 1077 samples of norovirus in oysters, the research published in last month’s Applied and Environmental Microbiology found a match with 80% of documented novoviruses in humans. Take into account that these samples were taken from coasts contaminated with human sewage and raw oysters as being known to be far more dangerous transmitters of the virus and you’ve got yourself an unsavoury image.
Novovirus is also the cause of stomach flu – one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal discomfort – that can cause affected people to suffer for days, and oysters are the perfect incubator for the virus to mutate. Highly infectious, as it could spread through droplets in the air, the virus could also prove fatal for young kids and old adults, or those with weak immune systems.
So for now, it might just be wise to skip on that oyster course.
Tarandip Kaur
Photo: Getty Images
