CAPE TOWN – A National Health Laboratory Service scientist said there was no need to panic over pork.
Doctor Stephen Korsman said that consumers should cook all pork properly as this will render the hepatitis E virus non-infectious.
This despite tests having found traces of the Hepatitis E virus in some pork products sold in Cape Town.
Doctor Stephen Korsman said that consumers should cook all pork properly as this will render the hepatitis E virus non-infectious.
As part of a research project, virologists bought pork products, from two different shops to test for hepatitis E.
Through a laboratory process called a polymerase chain reaction, the presence of the virus was detected in two liver spreads.
Korsman said, however, there was no cause for concern as antibodies against hepatitis E were found in a typical pattern of slow levels of infection in the population as people got older.
The scientist said that the risks came from uncooked or inadequately cooked pig-derived products.
The Hepatitis virus can cause jaundice, lack of appetite and nausea.
In rare cases, it may lead to acute liver failure.
Story Source: Eyewitness News
