Consumers warned of deadly S.suis infections from raw meat

BANGKOK, April 4 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Public Health's Department of Disease Control has warned people not to consume raw or uncooked meat to prevent themselves from falling victims of a life-threatening disease called Streptococcus suis (S.suis). According to the department's Deputy Director-General Dr. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, local dishes containing raw meat and blood, namely pork, can cause the deadly S.suis infections related to deafness and a traditional belief that chili, salt and lemon juice can combat bacteria appears to be groundless, actually. Dr. Suwanchai said that a report conducted in 2010 by his department's Bureau of Epidemiology found that there were 185 S.suis patients in Thailand, most of them, or 171, were in the country's northern region and 12 of whom, all males, died, while seven patients were found in the northeastern region and the rest in the central region, caused by the consumption of raw pork. Dr. Suwanchai recommended that people, particularly those being reunion with their families in the upcountry during the forthcoming traditional Thai New Year or Songkran Festival, consume only properly-prepared meat cooked at temperatures around or above 70 degree Celsius for some 10 minutes; while slaughterers avoid direct contacts with live pigs, cattle and poultry and always wear gloves and cover their wounds during their operations. For those who develop high fever and headache within three days after consuming raw meat, the senior Thai health official advised that they immediately see the doctors, saying that for more information on the S.suis disease, people can call his ministry hotline, 1422, or his department's phone No. 02-590-3333. (TNA)