In recent days, hepatitis A has made headlines again. Cases increased in Naples and, within a short time, reports also arrived from Lazio. A trend that has drawn the attention of the health authorities and brought it back to the center a disease that is often underestimated, but which continues to circulate, especially through what we eat.
At the moment, this is not a serious situation from a clinical point of view, but infections are growing and are being monitored carefully to better understand how the virus is spreading and how to stop it. Precisely for this reason it becomes essential to understand what is behind these cases: how contagion occurs, what behaviors can expose one to risk and what you can do, in everyday life, to protect yourself.
We talked about it with dietician Giorgio Calabrese.
«Hepatitis A is an acute viral infection of the liverwhose transmission is mainly food-borne, through the ingestion of contaminated water or food, especially bivalve molluscs eaten raw. Also fruit, vegetables and berriesThe latter, especially if they are frozen, must always be eaten cooked and not to garnish cakes. Vegetables and fruit that are eaten raw they should first be washed with water and bicarbonatewhich cleans thoroughly while also reducing the possible presence of pesticides. Vinegar can reduce bacterial load but it does not eliminate pathogens. The only safety is cookingmost bacteria are eliminated with heat. In adults the most frequent symptoms are fever, malaise, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundicewhile girls and boys can remain asymptomatic for the entire duration of the infection. Mussels are filter-feeding organisms and if the growing waters are contaminated, they in turn become contaminated. The only way to protect yourself from infection is to cook shellfish. Heat, in fact, inactivates the virus and makes everything edible safely. Generally this risk of contracting hepatitis A is more present in the summer period when consumption increases mussels and clams, cockles, oysters. In general however, all year round the consumption of raw shellfish is a risk. Those who love shellfish and their distinct flavor when raw struggle to subject themselves to the safety of cooking but It’s an effort worth enduring if you want to live a quality life. A small renunciation that It’s worth a big investment for the future.”
