The general public is being warned about the potentially fatal risks of eating raw pork, such as blood infection and sepsis.
Dr Suwant tochai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Health (DOH), issued the warning in response to an emerging trend on social media of people eating and recommending pork sashimi.
Because raw pork may contain harmful pathogens, the director-general reiterated that his department strongly recommends freshly cooked food. Streptococcus suis, for example, can cause fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, skin rashes, and diarrhea. In more serious cases, the bacteria can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss as a result of brain infection, Pericarditis, and severe sepsis, which can result in death.
According to Dr. Suwant tochai, pork should be cooked at a high temperature of 70 degrees Celsius or higher for at least 5 minutes. He also advised people to avoid handling raw meat with their bare hands and to wash their hands before and after eating.