Canadians Hungry For Healthy Food, But What Are They Biting Into?
New Canadian Liver Foundation poll finds Canadians concerned about food- related illnesses, yet majority are not taking proper steps to avoid them
It is a common misconception among the public that hepatitis A and B are just travellers' diseases. Canadians are nearly twice as likely to recognize they could be exposed to hepatitis A when eating on holiday (65 per cent), versus only 35 per cent who recognize this same risk here in
"Hepatitis A and B are global liver diseases, and know no borders. While many may consider hepatitis A and B to be travel diseases, it is important to recognize that it can affect you right here at home," says
Canadians mistakenly believe common myths about the risks for contracting food-related illnesses and may have a false sense of security about their foods' safety. Almost two-thirds of Canadians (63 per cent) incorrectly believe going to a "reputable" restaurant means they are safe from food-related illnesses. A further 58 per cent think that visiting a "reputable" grocery store would be enough to help them avoid a food-related illness.
Knowing the risks
There are several ways in which food can become contaminated.
- From a food service worker: Hepatitis A virus can be passed along by infected food service workers in a restaurant or grocery store, or by those who handle produce along the supply chain.(iii) You may be at risk when a food service worker with hepatitis A fails to wash his or her hands properly after going to the bathroom and then touches the food you eat. - From the food itself: Contamination can occur during irrigation, harvesting, sorting, shipping, or processing.(iv) Food can be grown in or washed with contaminated water from areas with poor sanitation standards. For example, green onions, lettuce or strawberries have been the source of hepatitis A outbreaks in the past.(v,vi,vii)
"Whether you're getting your food from a big grocery chain, a local market or a five star restaurant, you have no idea how the food was grown, where it was processed or even how many people touched it along the way," says
Here are some general food safety tips on how to properly wash fresh fruits and vegetables:
- Always wash your hands before preparing food and after going to the washroom - Soak all fruits and vegetables for one to two minutes in clean, fresh water - Clean your countertop, cutting boards and utensils with hot, soapy water after each use - Don't forget that pre-packaged or frozen fruits and vegetables should also be well washed
Getting Protected
More than half of Canadians (51 per cent) believe they are safe from food-related illnesses as long as they wash their food before eating it. While proper hygiene and food handling can help protect against one of the risk factors for contracting hepatitis A, getting vaccinated is the best way to help protect yourself against both the known, and more importantly, the unknown and uncontrollable risks for exposure to this form of viral hepatitis. Only one in three Canadians (35 per cent) believe they are vaccinated for hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A, however, is not the only vaccine-preventable form of viral hepatitis Canadians can contract at home. Hepatitis B is spread through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids. Risk factors include: having unprotected sex, getting a tattoo or piercing, and getting a pedicure, dental or medical procedure where inadequately sterilized instruments are used. Just over a third of Canadians (37 per cent) believe they are vaccinated against hepatitis B.
"Canadians should consider getting vaccinated against both hepatitis A and B to reduce the risk of contracting these liver diseases here at home," says
About Hepatitis A and B in
Hepatitis A and B are serious liver diseases with potentially serious consequences.
Hepatitis A can last a few weeks to several months and typical symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue, fever, and jaundice. The disease can be quite debilitating, causing missed days or weeks of work in healthy adults. Severe cases of hepatitis A may require hospitalization and serious complications can include death in the elderly or those whose immune system is compromised.
In
Hepatitis B is significantly more infectious than HIV(ix) and hepatitis B-associated liver disease kills more than one million people worldwide each year.(X) There are two forms of hepatitis B: acute and chronic.
Chronic hepatitis B infections can lead to cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer,(xi) or liver failure, all of which can lead to death. Many people who become infected don't experience symptoms right away, so they may unknowingly pass the virus on to others like friends and family. Common symptoms include fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and jaundice. There are approximately 250,000 Canadians with chronic hepatitis B, and approximately 1,100 new hepatitis B cases were reported in 2007(xii). Hepatitis B is the world's leading cause of primary liver cancer,(xiii) causing up to 80 per cent of liver cancer worldwide.(xiv)
Canadians don't realize it, but we make decisions every day that can have positive or negative effects on our liver. Getting educated about liver disease is a good first step to being liver healthy. For more information, visit the Canadian Liver Foundation at www.liver.ca, or talk to your healthcare provider to find out about vaccination options and other preventative measures.
About The Canadian Liver Foundation
The CLF is a national charity committed to promoting liver health and reducing the incidence and impact of all forms of liver disease by supporting education and research into causes, diagnoses, prevention and treatment. Through its LIVERight campaign, the CLF wants to make liver health a priority for each and every Canadian - including individuals, health care professionals, government and industry. The CLF has contributed over
Survey Methodology
Leger Marketing surveyed 1,521 adult Canadians aged 18 and older about contracting Hepatitis A and B in
B-roll is available on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 ---------------------------------------------------- Time of feed: 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. EDT continuous loop 14:00 p.m. - 14:30 p.m. EDT continuous loop Coordinates: Anik F2, C-Band, Transponder 3B @111.1 West Vertical Polarization, D/L Freq. 3820MHz. Audio subcarriers 6.8 left, 6.2 right Trouble shoot: 1-800-565-1471 --------------------- (i) Statistics Canada. Canadian Economic Observer. June 2008 Available on-line at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-010-x/00608/10626-eng.htm (ii) Teitelbaum, P. An Estimate of the Incidence of Hepatitis A in Unimmunized Canadian Travelers to Developing Countries. Journal of Travel Medicine. 2004; 11:102-106. (iii) Fiore AE. Hepatitis A transmitted by food. Clin Infect Dis 2004;38:705-715. (iv) From Fiore AE (Clin Infect Dis 2004), implicated sources of contaminated produce during growing, harvesting or processing include Mexico, United Kingdom and USA. (v) Rosenblum LS, Mirkin IR, Allen DT, et al. A multifocal outbreak of hepatitis A traced to commercially distributed lettuce. Am J Public Health 1990;80:1075-1079. (vi) Hutin YJF, Pool V, Cramer EH, et al. A multistate outbreak of hepatitis A. N Engl J Med 1999;340:595-602. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/340/8/595?ijkey=0537509f43308f51ff5b75c0639c3148df89b3ec&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha (vii) Wheeler C, Vogt T, Armstrong GL, et al. A food borne outbreak of hepatitis A in Pennsylvania associated with green onions. N Engl J Med 2005;353:890-7. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/353/9/890?ijkey=af7de40dc216b3c563f595e77c6d269f15a14a4a&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha (viii) http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/vpd-mev/hepatitis-a_e.html Public Health Agency of Canada, Vaccine Preventable Diseases. Accessed April 16, 2008. (ix) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prevention and Control of Infections with Hepatitis Viruses in Correctional Settings. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2003;52(RR-1):1-36. (X) http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hcai-iamss/bbp-pts/hepatitis/hep_b_e.html Bloodborne Pathogens Section. Hepatitis B Fact Sheet. (xi) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B. In: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. 8th ed. Atlanta, Ga. 2004. (xii) Management of Viral Hepatitis: A Canadian Consensus Conference 2003/2004 http://www.hepatology.ca/cm/FileLib/consensus_English_Aug_04.pdf and The Public Health Agency of Canada http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/vpd-mev/hepatitis-b-eng.php (xiii) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B. In: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. 8th ed. Atlanta, Ga: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2005:191-212 (xiv) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B. In: Epidemiology and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. 8th ed. Atlanta, Ga: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2005:191-212
For further information: David Mircheff, Environics Communications, (416) 969-2776, [email protected]; Melanie Kearns, Canadian Liver Foundation, (416) 491-3353 or 1-800-563-5483, [email protected]
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