SGH Says Pork Liver Might Be Causing Surge In Hepatitis E Infections In S’pore

Aunty, one ba chor mee, don’t want the liver.

If you’ve always ordered your minced meat noodles that way, good for you.

Because Singapore experienced a surge in Hepatitis E cases and it might be due to this.

A Surge In Hepatitis E Cases

On 9 Oct 2019, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) announced that there is a surge in the number of Hepatitis E cases in Singapore between 2012 and 2016.

In 2012, the number of Hep E cases was 1.7 per 100,000 people. In 2016, it has increased to 4.1 per 100,000 people.

They’ve also discovered that the main group of people who were infected are Chinese men above the age of 55 years old.

Typically Caused By Faecal-To-Oral

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Hepatitis E, which is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis E Virus (HEV), is typically transmitted via faecal-to-oral route, usually via contaminated water.

That or the person preparing your food didn’t wash his or her hands after some big business.

But in Singapore where we’ve perfected the art of turning sh*tty water to drinkable ones, the cause of infection is slightly different.

Strains of HEV Discovered in 3 Raw Pork Liver Samples

SGH analyse HEV samples and found that the same HEV subtype can be found in three different samples of pork livers.

While they could not be certain if pork liver is the “main contributor” of HEV cases in Singapore, they inferred it from a couple of factors:

• Pork liver can be found in many local dishes
• People usually eat pork liver slightly undercooked (so that it’ll be chewier), and overcooking it usually leads to a grainy texture.

Eating undercooked meat products also increases your risk of infection.

It’s Usually Not Dangerous

HEV affects the liver but it’ll typically go away on its own in a few weeks.

While it doesn’t do significant liver damage or pose a huge risk to healthy human beings, it might be dangerous to pregnant ladies, people with weak immune system or people with pre-existing chronic liver disease.

Some symptoms of HEV includes:

• Fever
• Feeling fatigued
• Nauseous
• Jaundice (yellow skin with white eyes)

Moral of the story

Ask for your pork liver to be cooked thoroughly, or maybe, just eat it from time to time.

After all, moderation is key.