Trichinella alert for Cape Dorset

The Department of Health is advising residents of Cape Dorset that a polar bear has tested positive for trichinella.

If you ate uncooked polar bear meat recently and experienced stomach pain, muscle pain, diarrhea, swollen eyelids, sweating and weakness, you might be infected with trichinella.

You should go to the health centre if you ate uncooked polar bear meat and have any of these symptoms.

Polar Bear meat is a nutritious food! Trichinella is not killed by freezing; before eating polar bear meat, it should be cooked until there is no pink or red in the meat.

A fact sheet on trichinosis can be found on the Department of Health’s website: https://www.gov.nu.ca/sites/default/files/country_food_fact_sheets_trichinosis_gn_en.pdf

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Media Contact:

Ron Wassink
Communications Specialist
Department of Health
867-975-5710
rwassink@gov.nu.ca