Half of those who get sick in Finland have to be hospitalized – This kind of disease is spread by contaminated meat sausage – 2024-03-10 09:12:20

Hepatitis E cases have increased in Finland. People usually get infected through food. Adobe stock/AOP

The number of hepatitis cases has increased dramatically. This year, 82 hepatitis E cases from different parts of Finland have been reported to the infectious disease register maintained by the Finnish Health and Welfare Institute (THL). Last year, there were thirty infections throughout the year.

THL said on Thursday that half of the sick people this year have had to be hospitalized.

How can hepatitis E infection be identified?

Hepatitis E is a liver infection caused by a virus (HEV).

Most infections go unnoticed, as the disease is largely asymptomatic. In those who have symptoms, the disease is usually mild, THL’s epidemiologist veterinarian Ruska Rimhanen-Finne tells.

Only laboratory-confirmed cases are reported to the infectious disease register.

The initial symptoms of hepatitis E can be vague stomach symptoms such as nausea, stomach pain, sometimes vomiting and loss of appetite.

Symptoms may also include fever, fatigue, darkening of urine, gray stools and joint pain.

A few days after the onset of symptoms, yellowing of the eyes and skin may appear, which is due to liver dysfunction.

Symptoms appear on average 40 days after becoming infected.

The majority will get better

According to Rimhanen-Finne, the cases that occurred at the beginning of the year are very typical hepatitis E cases for their age and gender. Most of the patients have been middle-aged or elderly men.

– Maybe it also tells about eating habits, maybe older men eat more meat products.

There is no specific treatment for the infection caused by hepatitis E, but the vast majority of those infected recover completely within a few months.

– If there are no symptoms, it doesn’t matter if you know you’re infected or not. There are many other pathogens that do not show symptoms, and there is no harm in being infected.

In children, too, the infection is mostly asymptomatic.

For them, the disease can be serious

Serious symptoms are rare. A person with hepatitis E may have to be hospitalized due to liver dysfunction. The risk group for serious disease includes people with weakened immunity, such as the elderly and transplant patients, as well as those suffering from liver diseases.

In them, the infection can remain longer and lead to liver failure and, in the most severe cases, even death. Some genotypes of hepatitis E can also cause serious disease in pregnant women.

– Genotype 3 hepatitis E viruses found in Finland have not been linked to infections in pregnant women. Hepatitis E viruses of genotypes 1 and 2, which occur mainly in Africa and Asia, have caused serious disease in pregnant women.

If you develop symptoms related to liver function, such as jaundice, you should see a doctor.

Hepatitis E diagnosis is made by measuring antibodies or viral RNA in the blood.

Favorable conditions

Hepatitis E can be contracted from water or food contaminated by human feces. You can also get infected from poorly cooked pork or wild boar meat, venison or venison, as well as mussels or oysters.

Meat sausage and salami are suitable for the presence of hepatitis E viruses, as they are permanent sausages that are cooked using the cold smoking method.

– Especially for those whose immune defenses have weakened, it is good to be aware that hepatitis E viruses may persist in cold-smoked sausages if the virus has been present in the raw materials.

Normal heating of food destroys the hepatitis E virus.

Fresh and frozen vegetables and berries can also cause infection.

Hepatitis E can also be transmitted from one person to another through feces. That’s why you should remember to wash your hands after going to the toilet.

According to Rimhanen-Finne, those infected with hepatitis E registered in the infectious disease registry are from different parts of Finland.

– In the interviews, there have been no connections between them that indicate transmission from one person to another.