Over the weekend it emerged that a UK supermarket has sold pork products contaminated with a virus that can cause liver failure.

The virus, Hepatitis E, is found all over the world, though it’s most common in regions with poor sanitation, where sewage can contaminate food and water; it is most commonly spread through contact with the faeces of infected people or animals. In the global north, most people become infected by consuming undercooked pig meat, game or shellfish.

While still low, the number of cases in the UK has risen since 2010. Public Health England (PHE) highlighted consumption of ham and sausages from a supermarket chain which has yet to be officially named as a common factor, after a probe into the shopping habits of people infected with the virus.

Hepatitis E generally causes flu-like symptoms; it can cause a yellowing of the skin and eyes, fever, vomiting and loss of appetite. Though most people recover from the virus, it can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, and those with a compromised immune system, including patients recovering after surgery.

According to The Times, which broke the story on Sunday, the NHS has already begun screening blood donations for the disease, and will begin doing the same for tissue and organ donations.

Though most of those infected with the virus didn’t become seriously ill, some were severely affected.

The meat products linked with Hepatitis E infection are thought to come primarily from Germany and the Netherlands; Hep E hasn’t been detected in pigs in the UK. 

The Food Standards Agency has downplayed the health risks in response to the story, but recommended that all pig meat is cooked until steaming hot throughout, with no signs of pinkness, to minimise the risk of infection.

The National Pig Association, which represents British pig farmers, welcomed figures published earlier this month that suggest a reduction of Hep E cases in the UK in the second quarter of 2017, compared with the same period in 2016.