When the customer became acutely ill for the second time after eating fish filet of the same type, the Norwegian Safety Authority was alerted. The NSA revealed that the fish contained toxin from stafylokokk bacterier, along with vibrio cholerae which can cause cholera.
Sickness and diarrhea
The customer had bought frozen filets of the Asian fish type, pangasius in a Rema 1000-store in Haugesund. The symptoms suggest that the person was infected with the stafylokokk toxin.
"The progression of the illness with a staylokokk infection is very unpleasant. One is knocked out by intense vomiting and diarrhea, which in turn leads to headaches and exhaustion. Concerning vibrio cholera, you need to get a lot of it in you before you get cholera," says Marit L. Manhenke, functioning overseer at the NSA's regional office in Rogaland and Agder.
According to the NSA, the sickness occurs a few hours after infection with the stafylokokk toxin. The duration of the illness varies from between one and eight hours. The bacterier is not deadly.
Fish withdrawn
The pangasius filets have been sold in Rema 1000 shops in the whole country, as well as Coop Obs stores at Sotra, Jessheim and Lillestrøm. Polar Seafood in Moss, who imports the filets from Vietnam, has initiated the withdrawal and halt in sales of the fish filets from the consignment in question.
The consignment is produced 28.11.2007 and 29.11.2007. Customers who have products from the consignment in question can have the cost refunded on returning the product to the shop in its frozen condition.
Perhaps gloomy figures
The withdrawn consignment may have been sold in Norwegian shops since January/February this year, but only one person so far is know to have become sick from the fish toxin.
"There can be some gloomy figures here. The sickness is short-lived and not everyone would immediately link diarrhea and vomiting with food poisoning," says overseer, Marit L. Manhenke of NSA.
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