25 August, 2017
According to NHS Choices, Hepatitis E is generally a mild and short-term infection that doesn't require any treatment, but it can be serious in some people, such as those who have a weakened immune system.
PHE and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have refused to name the supermarket because they say the findings "do not infer blame on the supermarket".
The HEV G3-2 strain of hepatitis E is transmitted by sausages and pork products from Europe - mainly Holland and Germany - as United Kingdom pigs do not have the strain.
"Most of the cases involved the G3-2 hepatitis E strain, which has not been found in United Kingdom pigs, and the appearance of this strain is likely to reflect complex animal health practices within Europe, rather than any processes used by the retailer".
'The sausages on sale at Tesco at the time of the research were sourced from the United Kingdom and continue to be today.
"The Food Standards Agency is working with government, industry bodies and scientists across Europe to better understand and address the risk of foodborne hepatitis E infection", she adds.
Symptoms of HEV include darkened urine, pale stools and jaundice, as well as nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, abdominal pain and fever.
The HEV infection can cause flu like symptoms and result in liver failure, it can also prove particularly fatal in pregnant women.
Tesco has been identified as Supermarket X.
Most of the people infected don't present many symptoms.
However, PHE stressed that the risk to public health from the virus is low. It also highlighted the recent fall in cases and said, in comparison to the 1.7 million tonnes of pigmeat consumed in 2016, the level of Hepatitis E infection was "extremely small, suggesting that pork remains a safe and nutritious meal choice for United Kingdom consumers'".
A spokesperson for the company said: The sausages on sale at Tesco at the time of the research were sourced from the United Kingdom and continue to be today.
Public Health England has issued a warning after it was revealed that imported pork had infected 150,000 to 200,000 people a year with the virus. The virus strain has not been found in British pigs according to the report published last month.
The FSA advised that the risk of acquiring hepatitis E virus from eating thoroughly cooked pork or pork products is low.
The 60 individuals whose shopping habits were analysed had no history of travel outside the UK.
Hepatitis E is transmitted by sausages and pork products from Europe, mainly Holland and Germany, the Sunday Times reported. The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) pointed out there were other sources of Hepatitis E infections in humans other than pork, including wild boar, deer and shellfish.
After two sources told The Times they thought the supermarket in question was Tesco a spokeswoman told the Sun: "The research did not test for HEV".
