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Hepatitis A in New South Wales, Australia, from consumption of oysters: the first reported outbreak

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2000

S. CONATY ,
P. BIRD ,
G. BELL ,
E. KRAA ,
G. GROHMANN  and
J. M. McANULTY
S. CONATY
Affiliation:
AIDS/Infectious Diseases Branch, NSW Health Department, Locked Mail Bag 961, North Sydney, NSW Australia 2059
P. BIRD
Affiliation:
Hunter Public Health Unit, NSW, Australia
G. BELL
Affiliation:
Northern Districts Public Health Unit, NSW, Australia
E. KRAA
Affiliation:
Food and Nutrition Branch, NSW Health Department, NSW, Australia
G. GROHMANN
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Pathology, University of Sydney, Australia
J. M. McANULTY
Affiliation:
AIDS/Infectious Diseases Branch, NSW Health Department, Locked Mail Bag 961, North Sydney, NSW Australia 2059
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Abstract

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Between 22 January and 4 April 1997, 467 hepatitis A cases were reported to the New South Wales Health Department, Australia. To identify the cause of the outbreak, we conducted a matched case-control study, and an environmental investigation. Among 66 cases and 66 postcode-matched controls, there was a strong association between illness and consumption of oysters (adjusted odds ratio 42; 95% confidence interval 5–379). More than two-thirds of cases reported eating oysters, including one third of cases and no controls who reported eating oysters in the Wallis Lake area. A public warning was issued on 14 February, and Wallis Lake oysters were withdrawn from sale. Hepatitis A virus was subsequently identified in oyster samples taken from the lake. Hepatitis A virus poses a special risk to consumers who eat raw oysters because it can survive for long periods in estuaries and cause severe disease.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 124 , Issue 1 , February 2000 , pp. 121 - 130
Copyright
© 2000 Cambridge University Press