Tuesday, August 31, 1999
Health department may recommend shellfish menu warning
Death from vibrio prompts concerns
BY TIM BONFIELD
The Cincinnati Enquirer
After the death of a man who had eaten raw oysters, the Cincinnati Health Department is likely to recommend that all city restaurants serving them carry a warning about the potential health risks, officials said Monday.
Doctors think vibrio vulnificus, a bacterium often linked to oysters, caused the death Thursday of 51-year-old Thomas Woeste, who was a circulation zone manager for The Cincinnati Enquirer. Doctors also have suspected for a week that the bug came from raw oysters Mr. Woeste ate Aug. 18 at the Washington Platform restaurant in downtown Cincinnati.
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WHO'S AT RISK?
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Vibrio vulnificus is a bacterium found naturally on raw oysters. While it poses no threat to most healthy people and can be killed by fully cooking oysters, the bacterium can be deadly in rare cases for people with the following health conditions:
• Liver diseases (such as hepatitis and cirrhosis).
• Diabetes.
• Chronic kidney disease.
• Cancer (especially during active treatment).
• AIDS or HIV-positive status.
• Steroid dependency (such as treatments for asthma or arthritis).
• Inflammatory bowel disease.
• Stomach problems (including previous stomach surgery).
• Hemochromatosis (an iron disorder).
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Regardless of how the confirmation process turns out, the health department does not expect to take any action against Washington Platform, which already carries such a warning on its menu.
“We don't have any evidence that the restaurant did anything wrong,” said Dr. Judith Daniels, medical director for the health department.
Preliminary test results, announced Monday, confirm that the same type of bacteria that caused Mr. Woeste's death also were present on oysters from the restaurant, said Health Commissioner Dr. Malcolm Adcock.
However, citing its own inexperience in testing shellfish, the city health department considers its findings preliminary, Dr. Adcock said. It is seeking further confirmation — including a type of DNA fingerprinting test — from the Ohio Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our understanding is that this organism is present in oysters from the (Gulf of Mexico) at this time of year. It's not a contaminant. It's part of the normal flora of the food,” Dr. Daniels said. “Unfortunately, it causes disease in some people.”
The health department is not proposing to ban or restrict raw oyster sales. Instead, health officials are using the highly unusual case as a chance to educate the public about the risks of eating raw shellfish.
Eating raw oysters poses no significant health threat for most people, but shellfish (including oysters, clams and scallops) often carry a bacterium that can be deadly to people with liver disease, diabetes, cancer and several other conditions.
Washington Platform's menu car ries a disclaimer: “There may be risk associated with consuming raw shellfish as is the case with other raw protein products. If you suffer from chronic illness of the liver, stomach or blood, or if you are pregnant or if you have other immune disorders, you should eat these products fully cooked.”
“We feel terrible that this has happened. Our heart goes out to Mr. Woeste's family,” said Jon Diebold, owner and chef at Washington Platform. “But this was something that was completely out of our control. There was nothing more that the restaurant could have done to assure the safety of our customers.”
After a brief hiatus while waiting for the city test results, Washington Platform has resumed selling raw oysters.
Services for Mr. Woeste were held Monday. During the visitation, the family distributed handouts listing several facts about vibrio bacteria.
Rick Woeste, Mr. Woeste's brother, said he doubts that many people pay attention to or fully understand the consumer warnings.
“If you asked my brother if he had a chronic liver condition, he probably would have said, "No,'” Rick Woeste said.
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