With the recent end of the fishing moratorium, the prices of various seafood and aquatic products have decreased, with many products entering the market. Some people, in order to enjoy the "freshness," prefer to eat raw or undercooked aquatic products. Anshan City's CDC experts recently reminded that some raw aquatic products may carry various parasites, and consuming them raw can cause foodborne parasitic diseases.
Experts explained that foodborne parasitic diseases are infections caused by consuming raw or undercooked foods containing parasite eggs or larvae. Currently, foodborne parasites that pose serious threats to human health include Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, Fasciolopsis buski, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and many others. Many raw aquatic products can carry these parasites.
For example, consuming raw or undercooked freshwater fish and shrimp with metacercariae can lead to Clonorchis sinensis adult parasites inhabiting the intrahepatic bile ducts, causing clonorchiasis. For instance, snails often carry a zoonotic parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, which parasitizes in the human cerebrospinal fluid, causing symptoms such as headache, dizziness, fever, neck stiffness, and facial nerve paralysis. In severe cases, it can lead to dementia.
The Anshan City CDC reminds citizens that after being infected with a foodborne parasitic disease, different symptoms or signs may appear. Once you experience symptoms like frequent coughing, liver area pain, or fever after consuming aquatic products, especially raw ones, you should seek medical attention promptly. Furthermore, aquatic products must be thoroughly heated until fully cooked during preparation. Utensils that have held raw aquatic products should not be used to store other ready-to-eat foods. Knives and cutting boards used for raw aquatic products must be cleaned and disinfected before reuse.
Tips for Eating Raw Seafood
Although eating raw seafood can cause various parasitic diseases, its unprocessed, delicious taste still attracts many people. Medical experts point out that for safer consumption of raw seafood, it should be frozen first and sprinkled with light saltwater.
Oysters and some other aquatic shellfish often contain a "pathogenic Vibrio" bacteria. For people with poor intestinal immune function, eating raw seafood can pose a potentially fatal risk. If oysters and the like are first placed on ice and then sprinkled with light saltwater, this bacteria can be effectively killed, reducing the risk of infection.