(Fargo, ND) — Details are being revealed about some Minnesotans dealing with brain worms after consuming bear meat.
According to a recent CDC report, family members from Minnesota, South Dakota and Arizona were infected.
Nine people attended a family gathering in South Dakota in 2022, where black bear meat cut into kebobs was served.
One of them harvested the bear in northern Saskatchewan before freezing it for over a month.
But both larvae and worms are freeze-resistant.
One family member was reportedly hospitalized a few weeks later in July of 2022 with a fever, severe muscle soreness and swelling around the eyes.
He was diagnosed with trichinellosis — a roundworm usually rare to be found in humans.
Seven more family members, including a 12-year-old girl, were diagnosed with the worms.
The CDC says up to one-quarter of black bears in Canada and Alaska could be infected, advising to cook meat to at least 165 degrees and avoiding cross-contamination with other foods.
