Latest cases of Vibrio infections
Updated on 31 May 2023
Between 1 November 2022 and 31 May 2023, there were 17 reported cases of confirmed Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections.
- Of the 15 cases with a food history of seafood consumption, 14 consumed New Zealand sourced seafood and 1 consumed seafood sourced overseas. Two cases had no food history of seafood consumption.
- Of the 15 cases with a food history of seafood consumption, 9 consumed raw and undercooked shellfish before they became ill, while 6 consumed a mixture of seafood containing shellfish or other types of seafood.
- Of the 17 cases, 4 people had to be treated in hospital.
- Of the 17 cases, 9 were reported as Māori, 5 were European and other, and 3 were Pacific peoples.
Of the 15 cases with a food history of seafood consumption, 6 had eaten seafood recreationally harvested from New Zealand waters before they became ill.
Maps showing the location of the 6 cases involving seafood recreationally harvested from New Zealand waters
1 May to 31 May 2023 (0 cases) [PDF, 2.3 MB]
1 March to 30 April 2023 (0 cases) [PDF, 1.5 MB]
January to February 2023 (4 cases) [PDF, 354 KB]
November to December 2022 (2 cases) [PDF, 332 KB]
Reported cases in the 2021/2022 outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Between 15 November 2021 and 31 May 2022 there was an outbreak of cases. As part of the outbreak, 60 reported cases were confirmed Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections.
- 40 had consumed raw and undercooked shellfish before they became ill.
- 25 (41.7%) people were treated in hospital.
- 27 (45%) were reported as European or other, 22 (36.7%) were Māori, 8 (13.3%) were Pacific peoples, 2 (3.3%) were Asian, and one (1.7%) was reported as Middle Eastern/Latin American/African.
Map showing the location of the 60 cases and the source of seafood consumed [PDF, 449 KB]
Forty of the 60 reported cases consumed recreationally harvested seafood before they became ill. Of the 40 cases, 16 people had to be treated in hospital.
Maps showing the location of the 40 cases involving recreationally harvested seafood
November to December 2021 (9 cases) [PDF, 401 KB]
January to February 2022 (26 cases) [PDF, 521 KB]
March to April 2022 (4 cases) [PDF, 358 KB]
May 2022 (1 case) [PDF, 336 KB]
Notes about the reported cases
- These cases do not represent all the Vibrio parahaemolyticus cases that occurred during this period, only those confirmed by the National Public Health Service through testing. Cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus have been under-reported in New Zealand. If people become ill after eating shellfish, it is important to report it to the National Public Health Service
- It is difficult to predict where and when Vibrio parahaemolyticus will be present in seafood and cause illness, as it may be present one day and gone the next. Even if you don’t see a case on the map in a specific area, this does not mean it is safe to consume raw and undercooked shellfish from that spot. Keep yourself and your whānau safe from Vibrio by collecting, storing, and preparing shellfish safely and cooking them thoroughly (until they open and are firm to the touch or they get to a temperature of at least 65°C for 1 minute).
- Locations of the cases associated with the consumption of commercially harvested seafood are not displayed on the maps because the products involved are distributed nationwide and there have been no other reported cases associated with the same batch of products.
- Every effort has been made to ensure the information on this page is accurate. Information on this page is updated fortnightly by Wednesday 5pm, based on information available at the time of the update.
Find out more
If you eat raw or undercooked shellfish, you may get sick.
