Researchers have warned that the blood of slaughterhouse pigs which is infected with hepatitis E is making its way into the meat industry and is posing a serious risk to human health.
Scientists from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University have been investigating the human food supply chain in the US. Their findings from the pork industry published in Emerging Infectious Diseases make grim reading.Â
â40 percent of U.S. slaughterhouse pigs (sampled) were seropositive for HEV (hepatitis E virus), indicating prior HEV infection of the pigs on the farms, which was consistent with prior estimates for farmed U.S. pigs,â the report explains.
Research into the pork industry in many countries across the world has consistently found infections in pigs which pose a risk to human health.
The virus can be transmitted when undercooked or raw infected pork is consumed by humans, the researchers warned.
Anyone infected is then estimated to be contagious for several weeks, and symptoms take up to two months to develop after the virus is first transmitted.Â
Researchers wrote: âWe previously showed that HEV-3 is present in U.S. swine herds and that a small proportion of commercial pork products, such as liver and chitterlings, from U.S. grocery stores contain infectious HEV.
âHowever, the current HEV infection status of U.S. market-weight pigs at the time of slaughter, the entry point to the food supply chain, remains unknown.â
The study took 23,000 samples from 25 slaughterhouses in 10 states between 2017-2019, acquired from blood on the slaughterhouse floor.
40 percent of the samples were infected with the virus, but only 6 percent of the pigs were detected to have HEV viremia. However, infected blood can contaminate other pork products which would otherwise be free of the virus.
Scientists say the figures are worryingly high as numbers of humans infected with the virus are on the rise.Â
Share this article to reveal the dangers associated with the pork industry. What should be done to prevent the spread of disease? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Michelin star awarded to a vegan restaurant in France for the first time
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 19th January 2021
Vegan eatery ONA has also been awarded Michelinâs green star â in recognition of its strong ethical practices. A vegan French restaurant has won a Michelin Guide star, the first for an establishment serving only meat-free products in France. Claire Vallee runs the ONA restaurant in the city of Ares, near Bordeaux, in south-west France. …
Katy Perry tells 109 million followers she and her dog are ‘ready to be 100% veganâ
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 18th January 2021
Katy Perry has announced she is planning to go vegan this year along with her dog Nugget, who has been slowly changing her diet with her. Katy Perry is turning over a new leaf this 2021. The pop superstar recently announced that she is nearly ready to become a full-time vegan. She also added that …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, youâre a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, youâre a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …