Some people eat seafood for a "fresh" taste, preferring to eat it raw or undercooked. Experts warn that some raw seafood may carry various parasites, and eating it raw can cause foodborne parasitic diseases.
Experts explain that foodborne parasitic diseases are infections caused by consuming raw or inadequately cooked food containing parasite eggs or larvae.
Currently, foodborne parasites that pose a serious threat to human health include liver flukes, lung flukes, fasciolopsis, and Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Many types of raw seafood can carry these parasites.
For example, consuming raw or undercooked freshwater fish and shrimp with metacercariae can lead to adult liver flukes parasitizing in the intrahepatic bile ducts, causing clonorchiasis. Patients with this disease may experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue, jaundice, pain in the liver area, and an enlarged and tender liver. In severe cases, it can lead to biliary colic and obstructive jaundice. For instance, snails often carry a zoonotic parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis. In recent years, with the widespread consumption of snails, the incidence of diseases caused by this parasite has been gradually increasing from the south to the north. This parasite resides 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 Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds that after being infected with a foodborne parasitic disease, different symptoms or signs may appear. Once you experience persistent cough, pain in the liver area, fever, or other symptoms after eating seafood, especially raw seafood, you should seek medical attention promptly. Furthermore, when preparing seafood, it must be thoroughly processed and cooked until well-done. During preparation, utensils that have held raw seafood must not be used to store other ready-to-eat foods. Knives and cutting boards used for preparing raw seafood must be cleaned and disinfected before being used again.