More Danes infected with dangerous food bacteria

Cases of yersinia have tripled in the past five years

Lucie Rychla

Cases of the gastroinfection Yersinia enterocolitica have nearly tripled in the last five years in Denmark, according to the Statens Serum Institut.

The number of patients diagnosed with the infection grew from 191 in 2010 to 540 in 2015, and some 462 cases were recorded just in the first six months of this year.

The food bacterium causes diarrhoea and nausea, and the infection has been linked to contaminated raw or undercooked meat – especially pork.

READ MORE: Two more listeria deaths confirmed in Denmark

Yersinia can be particularly dangerous to small children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems, who may experience fever, abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea, explains epidemiologist Luise Müller.

To prevent the infection, the Danish veterinary and food administration Fødevarestyrelsen recommends the following precautions: wash your hands after handling raw meat, use one cutting board exclusively for meat and one for vegetables, cook meat thoroughly, and do not prepare meals for others if you are infected with the disease.

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