October is a good season for eating seafood, with shrimp and crabs being rich and delicious. Many people like to taste "fresh" and enjoy eating raw and pickled seafood. Recently, the news that a man was amputated due to eating raw and pickled seafood infected with Vibrio vulnificus has sparked heated discussions among the public. What is Vibrio vulnificus? What are the precautions for consuming seafood? The reporter interviewed Liu Bo, Deputy Director and Deputy Chief Physician of the Nutrition and Food Hygiene Institute of the Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and provided answers to the hot topics that people are paying attention to. Experts introduce that Vibrio vulnificus is widely distributed in seawater and is a bacterium that can invade the human body through wounds. Under special conditions, it poses a relatively high risk to chronic disease patients and populations with low immune function. But if you only have daily contact and consumption of seafood, as long as the method is appropriate, there is no need to worry too much. Liu Bo told reporters that there are two main ways to be infected with Vibrio vulnificus: one is to be stabbed by seafood containing Vibrio vulnificus. After a person is injured by seafood contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio vulnificus can invade the bloodstream from the wound and rapidly multiply at a rate of about 10 minutes. After about 3 to 4 hours, the wound will appear red and swollen, followed by tissue ulceration and necrosis. If not treated in time, it can be fatal within 48 hours. Another possible way to infect Vibrio vulnificus is for susceptible populations to eat raw or half raw seafood contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus. Liu Bo stated that people with underlying diseases, especially those with chronic liver disease, the elderly, children, pregnant women, and those with immune deficiency diseases, should try not to eat raw or half raw seafood to avoid infection with Vibrio vulnificus. Experts admit that as long as scientific methods are followed, people can still enjoy seafood well. Regarding this, Liu Bo suggests: firstly, try not to eat seafood raw, especially raw oysters or other raw shellfish; Secondly, when cooking shellfish, heat thoroughly. We generally recommend cooking shellfish with shells until the water boils, 5 minutes after the shells open, or steaming until the shells open for 9 minutes. Be careful not to eat shellfish without shells during the cooking process. If it is shellfish without shells, it is recommended to cook until the water boils for 3 minutes, or stir fry at a temperature of about 190 degrees Celsius for at least 10 minutes, "Liu Bo said. Thirdly, avoid cross contamination during cooking; Fourthly, shellfish should be consumed promptly after cooking, and the remaining parts should be sealed and refrigerated; Fifth, avoid exposing open wounds or skin damage to seawater or areas with abundant shellfish harvest; Sixth, when handling seafood, it is best to wear protective gloves to avoid being stabbed by sharp seafood. Reporter Yu Yatong, Wu Jiangmin (Xinhua News Agency)