Rare cholera outbreak in B.C.; suspected link to herring eggs

VANCOUVER — As many as four people have been infected with cholera in British Columbia, in what health officials are calling an extremely rare case.

Dr. Shannon Waters, a medical health officer with Island Health, said the individuals likely contracted the illness after eating herring eggs harvested on the coast of Vancouver Island.

Testing is still underway to determine the exact strain of the bacterial infection, she said.

“This is unique. We have not seen this before in B.C.,” Waters said.

Symptoms of cholera include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that can lead to extreme dehydration.

Cholera may be passed personto-person, but is usually contracted from bacteria in food or water sources infected with fecal matter, Waters said.

There have been a few cases in the United States, where people contracted the illness from eating raw or undercooked shellfish from the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“These illnesses have been associated with herring egg consumption. Herring egg harvest is typically, on Vancouver Island, a First Nations harvest,” Waters said. “The spawn had just happened earlier this month. People had harvested and were distributing between family, friends, communities.”

Island Health and the First Nations Health Authority are asking people in the area to wash their hands thoroughly, report to a doctor if they feel any symptoms and contact them if anyone has stored herring eggs.

Waters said health authorities don’t know exactly where the illness is coming from, but it could be a symptom of the changing marine environment.

“Our oceans are a valued resource for food, travel, recreation and they’re under pressures from sewage, from boat traffic and from rising temperatures. Our health is connected to the oceans and I think this is a sign of that,” Waters said.