Beware of Hepatitis E virus! Pay attention to food hygiene when traveling to Hong Kong

Beware of Hepatitis E virus invasion! The Centers for Disease Control of the Department of Health issued a warning on the 4th due to the abnormal occurrence of 27 cases of hepatitis E in Hong Kong. Although acute hepatitis E cases in the country are relatively rare, with only about 10 cases each year, 43% of them are imported cases, and most of them have a history of travel to mainland China before the onset of the disease. Therefore, it is reminded that people planning to travel to mainland China or Hong Kong should try to avoid eating raw or undercooked meals to reduce the risk of hepatitis E virus infection.

Studies have shown that hepatitis E virus can be isolated from the blood and feces of infected pigs. If you eat uncooked pig offal, you may be infected with the hepatitis E virus.

According to data released by the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, a total of 27 cases of hepatitis E were reported from February to 21 this year, which is an increase compared to the monthly number of cases in the past five years (ranging from approximately 1 to 23 cases). Zhou Zhihao, deputy director of the CDC, said that hepatitis E most often occurs in countries or regions with poor environmental hygiene or a more common habit of eating raw food, such as mainland China, India and Southeast Asia.

Hepatitis E is a zoonotic infectious disease, with the main transmission route being fecal-oral. Its incubation period is approximately 15 to 64 days. Infection may occur when food or water contaminated with the hepatitis E virus is ingested. Studies have shown that hepatitis E virus can be isolated from the blood and feces of infected pigs. If you eat uncooked pig offal, such as cold pork liver, pork liver porridge, pork liver noodles, etc. (some cooks only cook them half-cooked for the sake of deliciousness), you may be infected with the hepatitis E virus.

Zhou Zhihao pointed out that the clinical symptoms of hepatitis E are similar to those of other viral hepatitis, including fever, jaundice, general fatigue and malaise, nausea, vomiting and abdominal discomfort. The mortality rate of hepatitis E is similar to that of hepatitis A, about 1/1000, but when pregnant women in the third trimester are infected with hepatitis E, the mortality rate can be as high as 20%.

Epidemics of hepatitis E are usually caused by water contamination, but sporadic cases and outbreaks that do not appear to be related to water infection have also been reported. The incidence of hepatitis E is highest among young and middle-aged people, and the infection rate is usually higher in men. Hepatitis E is less common in children and the elderly.

The Centers for Disease Control calls on the public to keep raw and cooked utensils separate when cooking to avoid cross contamination, and reminds people planning to travel to mainland China or Hong Kong to avoid eating raw or undercooked meals as much as possible to reduce the risk of hepatitis E virus infection.

Especially when Chinese people travel to the local area for sightseeing, they should pay special attention to food hygiene, choose a hygienic dining environment, avoid eating raw food and drinking raw drinks, and especially avoid eating uncooked pig offal and seafood. After returning to the country (the incubation period is 15-64 days), if you develop suspected symptoms of hepatitis E, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. When seeking medical attention, you should inform the doctor of your relevant travel history to facilitate diagnosis, and notify the health authorities so that they can implement necessary epidemic prevention measures to protect the health of the people.