08/21/26 Public Health Education Topic: Trichinosis/Trichinellosis

Per CDC:

Key points

• People who eat raw or undercooked meat from certain animals can get trichinellosis.

• Trichinellosis is a rare disease in the United States, and the risk of getting it is low.

• Trichinellosis symptoms can be mistaken for flu symptoms.

• Cooking meat to safe temperatures prevents trichinellosis.

Signs and symptoms

The signs, symptoms, severity, and duration of trichinellosis can vary. Symptoms often start with

• Nausea

• Diarrhea

• Tiredness

• Fever

• Abdominal (belly) discomfort

  
  

Symptoms can then progress to include

• Headache

• Fever

• Chills

• Cough

• Swelling of the face and eyes

• Aching joints and muscle pain

• Itchy skin

• Diarrhea

• Constipation

If the infection is heavy, you may have trouble coordinating movements and have heart and breathing problems. Severe cases can cause death.

Prevention

The best way to prevent trichinellosis is to cook meat to safe temperatures Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of cooked meat. Do not sample meat until it is properly cooked.

You should also

• Wash your hands with warm water and soap before preparing food and after handling raw meat.

• Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5°F (-15°C) to kill any worms.

• Clean meat grinders and all other tools thoroughly after each use.

  
  

Be aware that

• Curing (salting), drying, smoking, or microwaving meat alone does not consistently kill infective worms. Homemade jerky and sausage were the cause of many cases of trichinellosis reported to CDC in the past.

• Freezing wild game meats, unlike freezing pork products, may not effectively kill all worms because some worm species that infect wild game animals are freeze-resistant.

To learn more please visit: About Trichinellosis | Trichinellosis (Trichinosis) | CDC