Beware Uncooked Skewers Can Make You Sick

Experts warn citizens: when eating stewed or grilled meat,it must be thoroughly cooked. Recently, a college graduate from a certain university was diagnosed with acute brucellosis at Heilongjiang Agricultural and Forestry Total Hospital after suffering from fever and leg pain for over a month due to undercooked mutton skewers consumed during a class reunion. Upon investigating the cause of the illness, the "culprit" turned out to be mutton skewers that were not fully grilled.The head of the brucellosis department at the hospital, Li Furong, stated that with Heilongjiang Province transitioning from an agricultural powerhouse to a livestock powerhouse, the livestock market has become more active. However, monitoring measures are still lagging, leading to an increasing trend in brucellosis cases.

According to records, Heilongjiang Agricultural and Forestry Total Hospital designated as the treatment base for brucellosis since the 1980s has admitted about 70-80 patients annually.

The minimum number of admissions was around 30. In recent years, however, the hospital has been admitting over 200 patients per year. Moreover, in the past, more than 95% of the cases were chronic and mostly follow-up patients; now, over 80% are acute or subacute first-time infections.

Experts note that brucellosis is mainly characterized by fever. Historically, it often presented as a classic wave-like fever pattern. However, this typical symptom is now less common, with more frequent presentations of persistent high fever, remittent fever, irregular fever, or long-term low-grade fever. These symptoms can also include joint and muscle pain, fatigue, and excessive sweating. Clinically, these symptoms often lead to misdiagnosis as a cold, lumbar disc herniation, etc.

The disease is a systemic illness; delayed treatment may damage various systems such as the liver, cardiovascular system, nerves, and brain membranes. Experts advise that anyone exhibiting these symptoms, especially those with livestock contact history or living in an epidemic area, should seek specialized hospital checks promptly.

Currently, the incidence of brucellosis is spreading from rural shepherds and herders to processing and trading personnel, affecting both adults and children. Experts recommend that relevant departments implement strict measures to control sources of infection and cut off transmission routes. Infected livestock should be identified, isolated, culled, buried deep, or incinerated. Strict quarantine measures must be enforced during livestock transactions. Persons engaged in livestock farming, leather processing, and meat production should strictly adhere to relevant regulations and enhance their protective measures.

Experts particularly warn the general public that when eating stewed or grilled meat, it must be thoroughly cooked before consumption, and unprocessed milk should not be drunk.Brucellosis, also known as brucellosis, is an infectious disease shared by humans and animals. The main source of infection are infected livestock such as sheep, cattle, and pigs.

Human infection can occur through the consumption of meat, milk, or internal organs from diseased animals, inhalation of contaminated air, or skin contact with the bacteria. The main sources of infection are bacteria-carrying sheep, cattle, pigs, and other domestic animals. Human infection can occur if one consumes meat, milk, or internal organs from diseased animals, inhales air containing Brucella bacteria, or comes into contact with the bacteria through skin or mucous membranes.