![]() Remove the viscera of the shellfish before cooking.If possible, remove the shells before cooking as they impede heat penetration.All shellfish should be cooked at boiling temperature for not less than five minutes before eating.Scrub and rinse the shellfish in clean water.Do not buy shellfish from illegal hawkers and unlicensed food premises.Buy only those shellfish which are fresh, with intact shell and free from abnormal odour. ![]() The surveillance findings reflected that bivalve is more vulnerable to HAV contamination than other groups of shellfish. All these unsatisfactory samples were bivalves. ![]() 92 samples (11.4%) were found unsatisfactory. From 1999 to June 2000, 809 samples of shellfish (including 734 samples of bivalve shellfish) were taken for HAV testing. We take regular samples of shellfish both from the retail outlets and at the entry points for testing of HAV.If the importer concerned is unable to present a health certificate for inspection, we may take samples from the consignment for examination before its release. When a consignment of shellfish arrives at entry points, it may be subject to inspection or sampling by us.At the import level, we strongly encourage importers to obtain health certificates issued by health authorities of the countries of origin certifying that each imported consignment of shellfish is fit for human consumption.Under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, Cap.132, fresh or frozen shellfish is classified as a restricted food item, which is subject to licensing control.When handled properly, shellfish is as safe to eat as any other source of food.Ĭontrol Measures and Surveillance Findings Attention to environmental, food and personal hygiene can prevent hepatitis A.Consumption of bivalve shellfish, like cockles, oysters and clams, is strongly associated with hepatitis A outbreaks. Man may contract hepatitis A after consumption of contaminated shellfish that has not been thoroughly cooked. Hence they tend to concentrate the virus present in the polluted water. Because bivalve shellfish are filter feeders, they absorb food particles and nutrients by filtering out the seawater. Shellfish living in water contaminated by sewage can carry the HAV.It generally divided into four groups namely crustaceans (examples: crabs, crayfish, lobster, and shrimp), gastropods (examples: abalone, limpet, snail, and whelk), bivalves (examples: oysters, clams, mussels, and scallops), and cephalopods (examples: octopus, squid, and cuttlefish). Shellfish is a broad term for all aquatic animals that have a shell of some kind.Risk Assessment and Public Health Significance Because of its unique habitat and special feeding mechanism, shellfish especially bivalve shellfish is an important vehicle responsible for transmission of hepatitis A. ![]() Symptoms can include fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, jaundice and tea-coloured urine.
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