NewsDesk @bactiman63

The Ministry of Health of the province of Santa Fe, issued an alert to a recent outbreak of trichinosis in various locations in the territory. So far, 26 suspected and 8 confirmed cases of this parasitic disease have been registered. At the same time, the provincial health officials asked the population to avoid sausage foods that have not gone through sanitary controls.

Trichinella spiralis parasite
Trichinella spiralis cysts
Image/CDC

These products are usually sold on the routes and roads of the country, although these roads in the province of Santa Fe are no exception. When they are homemade, these items do not usually go through sanitary control and from the Ministry of Health, they always have a magnifying glass on the cases of food poisoning that they can generate.

For the number of entrepreneurs who dedicate themselves to this work on routes and roads, people poisonings are minimal, but they do exist, as in the case of Santa Fe  that culminated in the launch of the health alert. The provincial districts affected with cases of trichinosis are Granadero Baigorria (four cases), San Lorenzo (three cases) and Rufino (one case).

The health authorities reported that “with the aim of strengthening prevention measures, given the recent appearance of outbreaks in the towns of Granadero Baigorria, San Lorenzo and Rufino, it is noted that the main source of transmission is pork products and their elaborated derivatives  that have not gone through the corresponding controls”.

Trichinosis is a parasitic disease caused most commonly by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis. If someone ingests undercooked or raw meat with the encysted larvae, the stomach acid releases the larvae which mature to adults in the intestine.

After about a week the female starts releasing larvae which enter the bloodstream and find their way to skeletal muscle where they encapsulate.

There can be gastrointestinal symptoms mimicking acute food poisoning when there is activity of the adults in the intestine.

Sudden appearance of fever, muscle soreness and pain with swelling of parts of the face is early classic signs. This can sometimes be followed by retinal hemorrhages and other ocular signs.

With heavy infections cardiac, respiratory and neurological problems may ensue with death by heart failure being most common. The more larvae you ingest, the more serious the disease.

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What preventive measures are available?

• Cook all fresh pork, pork products and meat from wild animals to where all the meats reaches 160° F. The meat should turn from pink to gray.
• Freezing pork at -13° F for at least 10 days will kill the cysts. The exception to this rule is strains of Trichinella found in walrus and bear meat which are cold-resistant and must be cooked as noted above.
• Smoking, salting or drying meat is not effective.