New York [US], May 26: The New York Post on May 26 quoted a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying that 6 people in a family were infected with brain worms after eating a meal containing undercooked black bear meat.
Among the patients, there were 2 people who only ate vegetables grilled with skewered bear meat. The unnamed patients range in age from 12 to 62 years old.
The case was recorded when a 29-year-old member went to a hospital in Minnesota in July 2022 with symptoms of fever, severe muscle pain, swelling around the eyes and other abnormalities discovered after blood tests, according to the CDC. .
This male patient said he met 7 family members from Arizona, Minnesota and South Dakota and was hospitalized twice in just 17 days.
While together, the family ate black bear meat hunted by one member in the northern region of Saskatchwan province (Canada) in May 2022. This hunter deemed the bear's meat safe after storing it in the freezer for 45 days before eating it.
The worms could have died if they had cooked the meat at high temperatures, according to the CDC. Initially, this meat dish was accidentally served rare, because the meat is dark in color, making it difficult for family members to determine the level of doneness with the naked eye.
After some family members started eating meat and noticed it was undercooked, they recooked it before continuing to eat it.
The party ended before any family members showed symptoms. Of the 6 people infected with brain worm, 3 were hospitalized. All have recovered. Cases of brain worm infection , mainly caused by eating wild animals, are rare in the United States.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
