Health Officials Warn Public As Salmons Found Infected With Japanese Broad Tapeworms

Uh oh, sashimi lovers, you might be in for some bad news.

Recently, Health Officials in America issued warning to the public that Alaskan-caught salmon were infected with Japanese Broad Tapeworm. As such, consumers worldwide who love raw salmon or salmon sashimi are at great risk of getting infected by the parasite.

Source: ginraidee

According to Sinchew, it was widely perceived that only fish caught in Asia were infected with this parasite. However, after the tapeworm’s eggs have been found in Pink salmon, researchers now warned that 4 types of salmon, Chum Salmon, Pink Salmon, Sockeye Salmon and Masu Salmon may have already been affected by the parasite.

Source: medicaldaily

Researchers also pointed out that some salmon were kept fresh with ice, and not frozen completely when being transported to restaurants and supermarkets after being caught. Hence, the parasite may have survived throughout the transportation.

It was also reported that people who love to eat raw fish or partially cooked fish have a greater chance of contracting the parasite. On September 2014, a Chinese man who loved to eat sashimi complained about having itchy skin and abdominal pain. Scans revealed that his entire body were riddled with tapeworms due to his excessive eating of sashimi.

Source: dailymail

Source: dailymail

There’s little to no symptoms for people who have tapeworms wriggling inside them. However, for some, they may feel abdominal pain, nausea, loose stools and weight loss. For some severe cases, it may affect the person’s heart and liver functions.

A gastrointestinal expert, Oakinsen from New Zealand said:

“The tapeworm in the salmon can be killed by cooking the fish at 65 °C for 5 minutes. Alternately, you can also freeze the raw fish at -20°C for 7 days or -35°C for 20 hours.”

Personally, I prefer tempura prawn over sashimi any day, phewww.

In related news: Doctors Shocked After Finding 150 Wriggling Worms In Lady’s Stomach