Hepatitis E, sausage outbreak from Germany and Holland to UK
While newspapers in Italy are closely following the Fipronil phenomenon-which, according to initial assessments (1), does not appear to cause actual health hazards to consumers-in England it is only one scientific publication that reveals an outbreak caused by infected pork.
The hepatitis E epidemic in England.
Research published by Public Health England (PHE) examines the growing spread of hepatitis E, genotype 3 (G3 HEV), transmitted to hundreds of thousands of British citizens through the consumption of sausages, hams, salami and pork from Germany and the Netherlands. (2) The health consequences are severe, to the point of leading weaker individuals to liver cirrhosis and neurological damage.
‘G3 HEV is now the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis in the UK and cases continue to rise. The majority of these infections are acquired within the UK and thought to be from insufficiently cooked meat, predominantly processed pork meat.’
(Professor Richard Tedder, National Infection Service, Public Health England)
An estimated 150,000 to 200,000 citizens contract hepatitis E each year through pork imported from Germany and the Netherlands. A true pandemic, which led the UK Department of Health’s‘Blood and Transplant‘ to screen all blood donations. And it is now going to do the same (better late than never!) on donated organs and tissues as well.
The food security crisis at the origin of the epidemic
Scientists at PHE, which by the way is a government agency, tracked the purchasing habits of people who contracted the infection between 2014 and 2016. Noting a common factor, the consumption of‘Supermarket X‘ brand sausages.
Two previous studies by the same agency in 2011 had already identified pork products from Supermarket X as a key source of virus transmission. But in the 6 years since, in the name of transparency (which is always lacking!), Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have been careful not to divulge the name of supermarket X. Which some confidential sources indicate is Tesco, supreme retail leader in the Kingdom of Albion. (3)
Tesco would not comment on the just-published research, merely confirming that it has been in discussions with government agencies on how to minimize the risk of hepatitis E.‘We are working closely with FSA and PHE so that customers can have confidence in the safety of our food. (?!)
Foods that are vectors of Hepatitis E
PHE’s study identifies pork sausages‘which should be cooked before consumption‘ and pre-packaged sliced ham of Central European origin among the implicated products. And after examining several brands of sausage, they concluded that ‘only Supermarket X, specifically its own brand, was significantly associated with HEV G3-2‘.
According to Professor Tedder ‘something seems to have changed in animal husbandry‘. In Germany and the Netherlands, it is worth pointing out. ‘Too many pigs are infected at slaughter. This is a problem for meat producers and all retailers, not just one.’ The question remains as to why only now has such extensive trouble been revealed.
Dutch scientists (4) suggest that the spread of the virus stems from the Northern European meat industry’s practice of collecting blood from slaughtered pigs in tanks and then adding it to the meat, but without sterilizing it (?).
First comments
We are still facing a serious food security crisis involving multiple member countries. Germany and Holland, not for the first time (5) at the origin of an international epidemic, England to suffer its effects.
National authorities seem to have concealed the problem rather than disclosing it in appropriate ways as they should. And the communication flaw is followed by the inexcusable deficiency in crisis management. That in fact, as the cited studies show, has persisted for at least 6 years.
The European Commission, which has primary responsibility for coordinating trans-national crisis management, has in turn failed in its duties. Exposing citizens of other member countries including Italy to risk as well, where unfortunately there are also reports of trade in German sausages.
Our legislative priorities-introducing arequirement for the location of the production facility on the labels of all food products, as well as traceability andorigin of meats in restaurants-remain indispensable and urgent in order to ensure the safety of citizens first and foremost. As well as encouraging conscious consumption choices.
Food safety risk analysis, communication and management cannot and should not be hindered by diplomacy or confidentiality. It is time to change course, take action against the national governments and European bodies involved, demand the removal of politicians and public managers who have betrayed their duties. And while waiting for guarantees on the safety of the Northern European supply chains at the source of the trouble-whose names and brands must be made public-introduce safeguards to protect the public’s health.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) Early assessments of the German Risk Assessment Authority, BfR, are cited in this regard at http://www.bfr.bund.de/de/fragen_und_antworten_zu_fipronilgehalten_in_lebensmitteln_tierischen_ursprungs-201459.html
(2) Hepatitis E: the current state of play, Michael J. Ankcorn, R. S. Tedder, 2017, in Transfusion Medicine, doi: 10.1111/tme.12405,
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tme.12405/full
(3) Source: The Times. V. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thousands-at-risk-of-pig-virus-from-supermarket-x-sausages-z2l0s5m0g
(4) Professor Hans L. Zaaijer, professor in Blood Infections at the University of Amsterdam, reportedly reported this phenomenon as early as July 16, 2015. However, there is no information about the actual consideration of the problem by the relevant authorities
(5) From Germany, one need only recall the colossal dioxin crisis in 2010-2011, which led to the closure of more than 4,700 pig and poultry farms. After being rampant, even then, in the Netherlands and England. SEE http://www.ilfattoalimentare.it/germania-lo-scandalo-diossina-dilaga-a-macchia-dolio-lacune-e-ritardi-nei-controlli.html.
Between 2011 and 2012, again from the Federal Republic of Germany, so-called blue mozzarella cheese (bacillus cereus), homicidal sprouts (E. coli), and dioxin-laced feeds were rampant throughout Europe.
The Netherlands, after various troubles related to dioxins and PCBs in animal feed and animal products, is now at the center of the Fipronil scandal
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
