Fact or fiction: The true facts about eating raw oysters

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Texas family is warning people about the dangers of eating raw oysters after their loved one died after eating one.

Texas native Jeanette LeBlanc and her wife were visiting family in Louisiana last year when she shucked and ate raw oysters.

Everyone thought she had an allergic reaction to the food, but her condition worsened within 48 hours.

Doctors told LeBlanc she had vibriosis, a flesh-eating bacteria from the brackish water that got into her system through an open wound.

For 21 days, LeBlanc fought for her life, but she never recovered and passed away in October.

According to the Food & Drug Administration, raw oysters contaminated with vibriosis can be fatal when eaten by someone with liver disease, diabetes or a weakened immune system. The CDC reports that 80,000 people get sick, and 100 people die from vibriosis every year.

So what do you need to know about eating oysters?

One myth is that eating raw oysters is safe if you drown them in hot sauce, which is thought to kill everything. The fact is that active ingredients in hot sauce have no effect on harmful bacteria. Only prolonged exposure to heat at a high enough temperature will kill bacteria.

Watch the video above to learn more myths and facts about eating raw oysters.

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