Seattle Times’ JoNel Aleccia reports tonight that Washington state health officials have ordered an emergency harvest closure and a multistate recall of all shellfish from a portion of Washington’s Mason County’s Hammersley Inlet after at least a dozen people who ate raw oysters became ill.

According to Alleccia, Norovirus is suspected in the illnesses reported last month; laboratory tests confirmed the infection in two people, health officials said.

The recall announced Thursday includes nearly 4,000 dozen oysters and nearly 3,000 pounds of Manila clams from the area processed from Nov. 10 to Dec. 5. The shellfish was sent to a dozen states including Oregon, Nevada, Florida, Minnesota, Illinois, California, New York, Maine, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia.

Norovirus is a highly contagious gastrointestinal illness that spreads easily via contaminated surfaces, food or person-to-person contact.