Supermarket sold sausages & ham infected with Hepatitis

Supermarket sold sausages & ham infected with Hepatitis

A leading British supermarket has found themselves in a crisis after selling off pork product goods that may have infected thousands of people with a form of hepatitis that has a chance of causing liver cirrhosis. Now that’s a really big mess up.

Public Health England (PHE) researchers were attempting to find out the precise link between 60 people with hepatitis E and found out that they had all eaten own-brand sausages and ready-to-eat sliced ham from an nameless retailer known as Supermarket X, and the research over the matter took place between 2014 and 2016.

The study happened to discover that 150,000 to 200,000 people living in the UK may have been infected with HEV and this study represents each year. The report went on to explain:

“Only Supermarket X, especially own brand, was significantly associated with HEV G3-2.”

From the Independent:

In response to the findings, NHS Blood and Transplant has tested blood donations for HEV and plans to screen donated organs and tissue for the virus found in pigs.

Pigs in the UK do not have HEV, but the virus has been detected in pork products from Holland, Germany and other mainland European countries.

Sources told The Times that they believe Supermarket X was Tesco. However, a spokesperson for the supermarket told The Independent that it works closely with the FSA and PHE to ensure customers can be confident in the safety and quality of the food they buy.

HEV is spread when feces infected with the virus finds its way into the mouth, usually through food and water, according to the British Liver Trust website. Transmitting the virus from person to person is rare, but it is possible to be infectious for up to two weeks after symptoms show.

Be aware and if something doesn’t taste right…it probably ain’t.

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