Home
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
Community canteens fill an important gap in lives of the elderly
‘Mountains of gold and silver’ offer a relaxing getaway
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
Even raw pork safe from virus, say experts
Source: Agencies |
May 4, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PUBLIC health authorities stress that you can't catch the A-H1N1 flu from eating pork. But they keep citing cooked pork. What about the raw meat?
Well, handling raw pork is safe too, experts in the United States say.
"There's no evidence that any influenza virus, and in particular this one, has ever been transmitted by the foodborne route or by handling food products," said Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
After all, he said, flu infects a pig's respiratory system, and "food products have nothing to do with that."
Dr Philip Brachman, an Emory University epidemiology expert, agreed. "Nobody has suggested raw pork is a vehicle of infection," he said.
Maybe you could concoct a chain of events that would lead to an infection that way, but it would be about as likely as getting struck by a meteorite, said Jim Dickson of Iowa State University.
Salmonella
"Is it at all likely? No," said Dickson, who directs his institution's federally funded program on food safety, focusing on pork.
So why do public health authorities talk about eating cooked pork?
Probably because of other germs you can pick up from eating the raw meat, like salmonella, said Marisa Bunning, a food safety specialist at Colorado State University.
"Food safety experts don't want to indicate that eating raw pork is a good idea," she said. "The wording has to be done carefully to not give the wrong impression."
People should wash their hands after handling raw meat because of the non-flu germs it might contain, she said.
Well, handling raw pork is safe too, experts in the United States say.
"There's no evidence that any influenza virus, and in particular this one, has ever been transmitted by the foodborne route or by handling food products," said Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
After all, he said, flu infects a pig's respiratory system, and "food products have nothing to do with that."
Dr Philip Brachman, an Emory University epidemiology expert, agreed. "Nobody has suggested raw pork is a vehicle of infection," he said.
Maybe you could concoct a chain of events that would lead to an infection that way, but it would be about as likely as getting struck by a meteorite, said Jim Dickson of Iowa State University.
Salmonella
"Is it at all likely? No," said Dickson, who directs his institution's federally funded program on food safety, focusing on pork.
So why do public health authorities talk about eating cooked pork?
Probably because of other germs you can pick up from eating the raw meat, like salmonella, said Marisa Bunning, a food safety specialist at Colorado State University.
"Food safety experts don't want to indicate that eating raw pork is a good idea," she said. "The wording has to be done carefully to not give the wrong impression."
People should wash their hands after handling raw meat because of the non-flu germs it might contain, she said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
