Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Outbreak—Oregon, United States, 2024

In May 2024, the Oregon Poison Center notified the Oregon Health Authority of multiple people with suspected paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) who had consumed self-harvested mussels. Two days before this report, part of the Oregon Coast was closed to mussel harvesting after detection of paralytic shellfish toxins (PST) above the closure threshold (≥80 µg PST/100 g shellfish tissue) in mussels at one site. Following these illness reports, the closure was expanded northward to the Oregon-Washington border to include harvest areas reported by ill persons. An outbreak investigation was initiated to describe the clinical characteristics and exposures, identify unreported cases, and prevent additional illnesses. Forty-two cases were identified (had paresthesia onset within 5 h of consuming shellfish), with illness onset dates during May 23–June 6, 2024, leading to 7 hospitalizations and no deaths. Persons with PSP reported exposure to mussels (35 [83%]), clams (7 [17%]), and oysters (1 [2%]) harvested from the Oregon Coast. One week after the initial PST detection, marked increases in PST levels were detected in multiple sites and shellfish types, prompting closure of the entire Oregon Coast to mussel harvesting and partial closures for clams and oysters. Leftover mussels were obtained from 3 persons with PSP; all had PST levels above the closure threshold, with one yielding the highest level (5,500 µg/100 g shellfish tissue) ever detected in Oregon shellfish. This was Oregon’s largest recorded PSP outbreak. A rapid increase in PST levels over a short time presented challenges for the timely detection and closure of harvest areas. Rapid PST detection methods to supplement routine shellfish biotoxin monitoring could increase the timeliness of risk detection. Collaboration among public health officials, poison control centers, health care professionals, and shellfish program staff is essential to illness prevention and outbreak response.