Concerns about hepatitis E virus in pork in UK.

British doctors have reported that consumers have been found infected with hepatitis E that can be found in pork that is produced in mainland Europe. The Sunday Times reported about a publication by Public Health England (PHE), in which a new strain of hepatitis E (HEv) is linked to pig farms in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Reportedly, it has infected over 60,000 people in the UK per year. The strain may have ended up in about 10% of sausages. Public Health England showed the number of severe cases had almost trebled since 2010, with 1,244 reported in 2016 to 368 6 years earlier. The strain used to be mainly a tropical disease but has now mutated to infect livestock. It causes an illness in humans that looks like influenza. It is only killed in the meat if consumers cook the food for longer than normal. The virus commonly referred to as Brexit virus attacks the liver and nerves . It is particularly dangerous for people with suppressed immune systems such as those who have had organ transplants and possibly cancer. more