ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The St. Louis County Department of Public Health has issued a public health alert over oysters sold at one local business.

The department announced the alert Friday, noting that a man died after eating raw oysters sold by one west county business. The oysters were sold from The Fruit Stand & Seafood at 14433 Manchester Road in Manchester, according to the health department.

Anyone who recently purchased oysters from the business should dispose of them, according to the public health alert.

Public health investigators say there is no evidence that the business did anything to contaminate the oysters, which means they were likely already contaminated when the establishment received them.

Investigators are attempting to determine the source of the oysters in question and have called for an investigation through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

According to the public health alert, a 54-year-old man died after becoming infected by the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, which can be carried by oysters and other shellfish. He reportedly ate raw oysters from the Fruit Stand & Seafood sometime in the past week, He was hospitalized afterward and died Thursday, per the public health alert.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following practices to reduce your risk of vibriosis by following these tips:

• Don’t eat raw or undercooked oysters or other shellfish. Cook them before eating.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water after handing raw shellfish.
• Avoid contaminating cooked shellfish with raw shellfish and its juices.
• Stay out of salt water or brackish water if you have a wound (including from a recent surgery, piercing, or tattoo), or cover your wound with a waterproof bandage if there’s a possibility it could come into contact with salt water or brackish water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices. Brackish water is a mixture of fresh and salt water. It is often found where rivers meet the sea.
• Wash wounds and cuts thoroughly with soap and water if they have been exposed to seawater or raw seafood or its juices.
• If you develop a skin infection, tell your medical provider if your skin has come into contact with salt water or brackish water, raw seafood, or raw seafood juices.