Fishes and Shells Should be Boiled

The National Institute of Health (NIH) issued nationwide warning against vibrio sepsis on the 14th.

NIH announced that it issued the warning as it found vibrio vulnificus bacteria in the seawater from Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, top shells picked at Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, and the fish basins of raw fish restaurant in Daejeon.

An official of NIH said, “the mortality from vibrio sepsis is 40 to 50 percent that quick diagnosis and curing is required. The bacteria is easily killed by the heat over 56 degrees Celsius, hence you should eat fishes and shells after cooking. ”

24 patients out of 41 victims of vibrio sepsis nationwide died last year.

Vibrio sepsis occurs in south and west coasts during June to October every year.

Patients of epilepsy, diabetes, or alcoholic contract the disease easily by eating raw fishes and shells contaminated by vibrio bacteria.

And it spreads through the wounds on the skin during fishing or scaling a fish.

The disease has symptoms of diarrhea, stomachache, and vomits along with fever and a chill after one or tow days’ incubation, and sometimes blisters and red spots are formed.

hanscho@donga.com