If you’re looking to start 2026 on the right foot, it might be wise to avoid raw oysters for the time being. Health officials have linked an ongoing Salmonella outbreak to the popular seafood item.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 64 people across 22 states have been sickened by the same outbreak strain of bacteria, and nearly two dozen have been hospitalized. While a common source of transmission hasn’t yet been identified, the majority of interviewed individuals reported eating raw oysters shortly before their illness began.
“Epidemiologic data show that oysters may be contaminated with Salmonella and may be making people sick in this outbreak,” the CDC stated in its update released last week.
Worse than it seems
There are several different types of Salmonella bacteria that can cause illness in people, though the symptoms tend to be similar and gastrointestinal in nature. These include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. The illness will usually clear up within a few days and without the need for antibiotic treatment. But in rare cases, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body and cause life-threatening complications like meningitis or sepsis.
A strain of Salmonella Telelkebir is behind the current outbreak. The first known cases date back to June 2025, while the latest were reported in November 2025. Twenty people have been hospitalized to date, though none have died.
It can take up to a week for symptoms to start after exposure and three to four weeks before a case is identified as part of the same outbreak, so the actual toll is probably substantially worse than documented.
“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely much higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” the CDC said. “This is because many people recover without medical care and are not tested for Salmonella.”
State and local health officials have been interviewing sickened people about their recent diet, and raw oysters have come up as a likely culprit for the outbreak. Out of 27 cases interviewed so far, three-quarters reported eating raw oysters in the week before they became sick.
The one silver lining is that the outbreak strain of Salmonella doesn’t appear to be drug-resistant, meaning conventional antibiotics should work to help prevent or treat severe infections.
What to do
The CDC notes that raw oysters can be a potential contamination threat at any time of the year. And Salmonella isn’t the only germ that likes to call oysters home; the food can also carry foodborne infections like hepatitis A, Vibrio bacteria, and norovirus.
As a result, health officials generally recommend avoiding raw oysters and clams altogether—a tip that’s all the more useful now, given this current outbreak.
“Cook oysters before eating to reduce your risk of food poisoning,” the CDC stated.
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