Epidemiological data: Norovirus is a major cause of food-borne disease worldwide and is commonly associated with the consumption of faecally contaminated shellfish. This was first evident in 1977, when an outbreak of gastroenteritis in the United Kingdom (> 2000 cases) was linked to oysters harvested from George’s River, Sydney (Fleet et al. 2000).
The oysters had been opened and frozen on the half shell prior to being exported. During 1987–2001, at least 13 outbreaks of gastroenteritis associated with Norovirus contamination of oysters were recorded in Australia (Table 4.9; Food Science Australia & Minter Ellison Consulting 2002). A major contributing factor with these outbreaks was the consumption of raw oysters following heavy rainfall, resulting in increased faecal contamination of shellfish growing areas due to sewage pollution.
Table 4.9: Recent outbreaks of Norovirus virus associated with seafood consumption in Australia
