There is alarm in Italy: there is the risk of contracting hepatitis A from fruit. Here’s what’s at risk and what to do to prevent it.
Get to know thehepatitis A? It’s about a infectious viral disease affecting the liver. It is caused by the HAV virus and is spread mainly through the consumption of waterfall or contaminated food. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, especially in the upper right abdominal region, dark urine and yellow color of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
The best defense against hepatitis A is prevention. In fact, there is Vaccine and hygiene is also very important. Equally crucial is the consumption of uncontaminated nutrients. In particular, you need to pay attention to a type of fruit that can carry the virus into the body.
Indeed, there are several companies that have been recalled due to the presence of the virus that causes hepatitis A in their products. Let’s see what it is and why there is a serious alarm in Italy.
Hepatitis A, fruit and vegetables that put you at risk
In the 2017the European Early Warning System (RASFF) it recalled a batch of raspberries frozen foods from Poland, highlighting the spread of the problem on an international scale. However, the culmination of this worrying trend dates back to eleven years ago, in 2013, when a strain of the hepatitis A virus from Poland caused an epidemic that sent 1,300 Italians to hospital.
And now they are back in the spotlight berries. One of the companies involved is Versilfoodbased in Camaiore (Lu), which attracted several batches of mixed forest and frozen berries due to the possible presence of Norovirus GI, GII and hepatitis A.
The causes underlying this recurring problem are multiple. Often, contamination of berries it is the result of poor quality of the water used for irrigation and work the fields. Agricultural practices do not always meet the hygiene standards necessary to ensure food safety.
The Ministry of Health recommends cook the berries for at least 2 minutesi, in order to eliminate any possible pathogen present. Furthermore, it is important to verify the sources of supply of berries, favoring suppliers who adopt safe agricultural practices and which respect rigorous hygiene and quality standards.
In short, it’s good to stay a lot be careful what you buy and be informed so as not to purchase products that can be harmful to our health.
