(NewsNation) — Nearly a year after 10 people who attended an event in North Carolina fell ill, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control has an idea of what sickened them: undercooked bear meat.
In a report published Thursday, the CDC identified the likely sickness as trichinellosis, a parasitic infection that causes muscle pain, fever and facial swelling.
It comes from eating undercooked animals containing trichinella larvae. One of the most common hosts is the black bear, which is found in the western region of the state where this “gathering” took place.
In this case, a majority of the people who got sick were under 18 years old, with six minors reporting illness in the weeks following the event.
Nine of the 10 people infected had facial swelling. Six had muscle pain and four had fevers, according to the CDC.
“Because black bears are common hosts for Trichinella spp., communicating methods for properly cooking and preparing wild game meat is important,” the CDC said in a statement.
Officials recommend cooking game meat to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) to kill parasites, emphasizing that “freezing might not be sufficient” to prevent infection.
Though rare, trichinellosis can lead to death in 0.2% of cases.
