Hepatitis E Outbreak In China Linked To Undercooked Pork Liver

(CTN News) – In 2022, hepatitis E spread in China may have been caused by improperly cooked pork liver, according to a recent investigation.

An outbreak of hepatitis E was observed in a nursing home in Hangzhou, which is located in Zhejiang Province, during the months of July and August of 2022. For the purpose of identifying the risk factors associated with the outbreak, a case-control study was conducted.

There were 722 people living in the assisted living home, and 77 of them were found to have diagnosed with hepatitis E. The categories who were most affected were those who received care, those who provided care, and nurses. There were eighteen of them who had signs such as fever, jaundice, and loss of appetite.

According to a study that was published in the International Journal of Food Microbiology, patients who were infected with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) had an average age of nearly sixty years, with 59 women and 18 men who were included in the group of patients.

Between the 31st of July and the 10th of August in the year 2022, the nursing home was reported to have three instances of hepatitis E. Staff members from the local Center for Disease Control were sent to the location in order to confirm the occurrence and conduct epidemiological studies.

The very first patient was a married woman who was 59 years old and worked as a caregiver at the nursing home. In late July of 2022, she began to display symptoms such as nausea, a lack of appetite, an aversion to oily food, weariness, yellow urine, and jaundice in the eyes.

She also began to have pain in her eyes. On July 31, she was diagnosed with hepatitis E at the hospital where she was being treated. After experiencing yellow urine, yellowing of the eyes, and a lack of appetite on July 31, the second patient, a 59-year-old married caregiver, was diagnosed with these symptoms.

This individual was given a diagnosis of hepatitis E on August 2nd.

According to the findings of a case-control study, the consumption of pig liver and the consumption of raw fruits and vegetables from the cafeteria were determined to be risk factors for experiencing this epidemic.

The length of time spent cooking and incorrect methods

According to the investigation findings, the canteen at the nursing home had unsuitable conditions, and the amount of time it took to cook hog liver was significantly less than it should have been. A monitoring camera indicated that canteen personnel did not differentiate between raw and cooked food.

The film also revealed that pig livers were only cooked for two minutes and ten seconds. According to the findings of other studies, the inactivation of HEV in the liver at a temperature of 71 degrees Celsius (159.8 degrees Fahrenheit) takes at least five minutes.

It was discovered that the canteen had inadequate hygiene standards, which led to the discovery of cockroaches. The laws governing zoning were not strictly followed, and there was no clear distinction between raw and cooked culinary products. Although a steam pot was present, it was not utilized very frequently for the purpose of disinfecting the dishes.

Due to the fact that cooked and raw food were not kept properly apart, the researchers discovered that fruits and vegetables could become infected with HEVs from the hands of cafeteria staff through improper storage.

There were no leftover food samples available at the canteen. Hepatitis E Testing for HEV was carried out on fresh liver samples obtained from several vendors.

Treatment and isolation of patients, rigorous cleaning and disinfection, and the administration of the HEV vaccination were all part of the control efforts that were carried out after the widespread outbreak.

It is imperative that employees at the canteen be made aware of the necessity of cooking stir-fry meals for an appropriate amount of time and at an appropriate temperature in order to ensure that the HEV is deactivated. In addition, scientists have suggested that it is necessary to make vaccine recommendations for high-risk groups and to implement more stringent hygienic control in the food industry.

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