About 200 cases of gastroenteritis have popped up across the country, an infection caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which grows on shellfish in warm weather.
Although the warning is only temporary, officials say the this may become more common in the future as the ocean waters continue to grow warmer.
Symptoms of gastroenteritis include diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. The infection is not generally life-threatening except in the elderly or the infirm.
In an e-mail Dr. Joe McLaughlin, an epidemiologist at the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said, "If global temperatures continue to rise as they have over recent years, we should definitely be prepared to see more Vibro parahaemolyticus in high latitude coastal ocean waters."
