Health officials investigate reports of illness after Tofino, B.C. food festival

The health authority on Vancouver Islandwants to hear from people who may have fallen ill after a food festivalon the West Coast.

Island Health took to social media Friday morning, asking people to contact the health authority if they fell ill after attending an annual oyster festival held in Tofinolast weekend.

Dr. Charmaine Enns, a medical health officer, said there have been reports that people contracteda gastrointestinal illness over the past week.

"People are reporting onset of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, generally feeling really unwell," Enns said.

The health authority islooking at a possible connection with the oyster festival. ButEnnssaid health officials still need more information.

Could be oyster festival connection

About a half dozen calls came into health officials, Enns said, adding they hope to hear from more people.

"Wehave heard anecdotally that there has been quite a bit of buzz on social media about a larger number of people becoming ill."

Ennssaid health officialsneed to gather more data. "There's potentially a number of different sources and causes," she said.

"It was an oyster fest, so everybody thinks oysters, and everybody was eating oysters. But we actually need to do more of a look back."

Health officialsare following up with event organizersand restaurant owners.

People who have fallen illappear to be recovering. Ennssaid this type of illness can also betransmitted to other people.

Anyone who was at the festival and became illis asked to contact theIsland Health communicable disease line at 250-519-3401.