Trichinellosis is a parasitic disease that results from consumption of raw or undercooked meat infected by roundworm species in the genus Trichinella. Early signs and symptoms occur 1–2 days after ingestion and include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Systemic signs and symptoms, which typically occur 1–2 weeks after ingestion and last for 1–8 weeks, include facial and periorbital edema, fatigue, fever (remittent) and chills, headache, muscle soreness, pruritus (with or without a rash), nausea, difficulty coordinating movement, neurologic complications, and cardiopulmonary impairment.
The best way to prevent trichinellosis is to cook meat to a temperature of 71 degrees C (160 degrees F).
According to Food Safety News, health officials in Córdoba revealed that 244 cases of trichinosis had been registered in Totoral, Colón, Unión, Capital and Río Cuarto.
The Ministry of Health of Córdoba said almost 200 of the sick people live in the town of Villa del Totoral. Patients were treated in different health care centers. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the National Service of Agrifood Health and Quality (SENASA) are monitoring the outbreak.
Investigations have found a link to pork meat, sausages, and salami from different businesses in Villa del Totoral. An earlier warning revealed 22 people were sick in Villa del Totoral and the city of Córdoba.
In the province of Buenos Aires, eight cases of trichinosis had previously been confirmed in the town of Cañuelas with another five probable. Officials in Chascomus, also in Buenos Aires, reported some infections in the city and several people have fallen ill in the city of Chacabuco after eating sausages.