Raw egg in mousse, cows hazards to NZ health

Chocolate mousse cake made with raw egg whites sickened 21 people in two different groups in Sept. and Oct. in the Timaru district of New Zealand.

Another 21 cases of campylobacter were recorded in South Canterbury and 28 cases of cryptosporidiosis in the same time period, according to medical officer of health Dr Daniel Williams.

The Timaru Herald cited Dr. Williams as saying, "Many of these cases are people who live in rural areas and are associated with the dairy industry. Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite found in the gut of many animals both wild and domestic. People become infected when the parasites are swallowed. This may be from contaminated water or more usually from direct contact with infected animals. … Toddlers on farms are particularly at risk. Although it can be difficult, children should be supervised to prevent them swallowing infected material. The best protection for people who are in close contact with animals is thorough hand washing using plenty of soap, cleaning under finger nails, rinsing hands and drying on a clean towel."
 

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About Douglas Powell

A former professor of food safety and the publisher of barfblog.com, Powell is passionate about food, has five daughters, and is an OK goaltender in pickup hockey. Download Doug’s CV here. Dr. Douglas Powell editor, barfblog.com retired professor, food safety 3/289 Annerley Rd Annerley, Queensland 4103 dpowell29@gmail.com 61478222221 I am based in Brisbane, Australia, 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time