Avoid infections from raw pond fish and being cheated by phony ‘honey’

According to the epidemiology department, two people were very sick from such occurred in 2014; in previous years, there have been limb amputations and even fatalities.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Fresh fish (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Fresh fish
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Don’t clean your fresh pond fish yourself; ask your fishmonger to do it for you, the Health Ministry recommended on Thursday. Pond fish may contain the dangerous bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, which in people with weak immune systems whose skin has been punctures cause pain, infection and sometimes sepsis and resultant death.
 
According to the epidemiology department, two people were very sick from such occurred in 2014; in previous years, there have been limb amputations and even fatalities.
 
Buy fresh fish only from licensed stores where they are displayed on chips of ice. Never purchase them directly from fish ponds or open stalls where they are not properly stored. People with weak immune systems and chronic diseases should avoid all direct contact with fish that have scales, gills and fins, the ministry said.
 
Meanwhile, the ministry reported on the sampling by the Israel Standards Institution and the Germany lab Intertek of 28 different brands of honey in stores around the country. In a number of them, “honey” was found to be counterfeit or mixed with sugar -- which is counter to the standard. They included some from the Hizkiyahu Apiary, 350 grams, unheated, use until 12/2020 from Even Shmuel; Honey From Field Flowers, Top Brands, 350 grams, use before 14/05/17, 56742; and Emek Hefer, Pure Honey from Wild Flowers, 374293, 22/1/17, Kibbutz Mishmarot.