Freshsein
If you are a sushi enthusiast, this might be tough for you to read and if you’ve never tried sushi, you might change your mind about it. Just after one Chinese man indulged in sashimi, which is raw fish cut into tiny slices and often served with rice, he found himself hovered over in agony. He instantly went to the doctor complaining of itching skin and a abdominal pain.
Luckily the doctors immediately conducted a scan because they found that his body was infected with tapeworm from eating too many pieces of the raw fish. And it wasn’t just his stomach, it was his entire body that had been riddled with tapeworm.
The only thing that the doctors could conclude was that the raw fish had been contaminated and because he indulged in so much of it, he became a victim to the parasite and it spread quickly. The scary part is that if this wasn’t treated so quickly, the man could’ve died. When the adult worms enter a person’s blood stream, the eggs could potentially cause cysticercosis, which is life-threatening once it reaches the brain.
The man was treated at Guangzhou No. 8 People’s Hospital in Guangdong Province, in eastern China.
While sushi is recognized as a fairly healthy meal, whenever one eats raw fish they take a chance at getting a parasitic infection. When a person ingests the larvae of diphyllobothrium which is found in freshwater fish such as salmon, they have a chance of being infected by the worm which can be transmitted to them. Freshwater fish such as salmon and smoked fish also have the capability of transmitting the worm.
These types of cases have risen in poor areas because there is a need for improved sanitation, but they have also become more common in more developed countries as well. Scientists and doctors believe that this co-relates to the rising popularity of sushi. Whether for health reasons or simply because people are just learning to be more experimental, the delicacy is definitely becoming more popular.
“The widespread popularity of Japanese sushi and sashimi is a contributor,” said study author Nancy Craig. “But other popular dishes might also be implicated, such as raw salted or marinated fillets – which originate from Baltic and Scandinavian countries – carpaccio – very thin slices of raw fish common in Italy, raw salmon and ceviche – lightly marinated fish.”
Commenters were alarmed by this case and may stray away from sushi…
“For years I tried to get my husband to try sushi. But his reply was always, “I don’t want to feed my tape worm.” LOL!! Eventually, he tried it and now loves it, but we don’t eat it very often…and maybe never now after seeing this!”
Commenters also questioned just how much sashimi is too much. Sushi is one of those meals that you can consume a lot of without getting uncomfortably full. Maybe it’s best to take everything in moderation?
Others questioned how to know if a sushi restaurant is safe and others assumed that the wasabi had the power to kill the parasites.