Malta is sounding the alarm about the spread of a dangerous infection that can kill you by eating this common food.. Read more

Many residents of Malta felt severe symptoms after eating popular food due to their infection with this disease.

The case started in September last year when several people were infected with bacteria called Escherichia coli (E. coli) after eating a contaminated hamburger.

This is a type of bacteria found naturally in the human gut, but there are dangerous types that humans acquire through contaminated water or food, especially uncooked ground beef.

Adults often recover from it, but children and the elderly are at risk of developing kidney failure from the infection.

Susan Hellestad of the Public Health Institute says the situation is dangerous and not yet under control. This is the biggest outbreak of this infection in Malta.

The Maltese Public Health Service stressed the importance of safe food handling and recommended that fresh and frozen meat be properly prepared.

The Maltese supermarkets are bringing back hamburgers and mincemeat after a suspicion of contamination was found and the disease spread.

The Maltese Institute of Public Health announced yesterday that a total of 24 people were infected, including 15 children under the age of 13, and 9 in a serious condition. After that reported by Aftonbladet newspapers from Maltese newspapers.

Health and medical care in Malta

The children are currently receiving full health and medical care in the hospital because they suffer from what is known as hemolytic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can lead to bleeding and kidney failure.

The Public Health Service says on its website that the syndrome often requires treatment in intensive care and dialysis.

Blood and kidney disease usually starts as an intestinal infection, but after a few days it leads to kidney inflammation.

Some Maltese authorities are trying to control the infection, fearing that the number of unregistered cases will increase.

The source of the bacteria was found in hamburgers, but officials also recalled other ground meat products that use the same ingredients from stores.

Officials stressed the importance of people following advice on safe food handling.

Hillestad said that these bacteria are killed by high temperatures, but remain alive in the refrigerator, so fresh and frozen products should be prepared.

Symptoms of E. coli infection often begin with stomach cramps and diarrhea, and some people experience nausea, vomiting and fever. After two or three days, the diarrhea can become bloody. Recovery usually takes about a week. According to the Malta Public Health Service, people of all ages can suffer from HUS, but especially children under the age of five.

According to the Malta Infection Act, infections constitute a risk to public health, so two large outbreaks of infection in 2000 and 2005 in Malta must be identified.

For the first time, the source of the infection was lettuce contaminated with the bacteria. The second time, the source of the infection was not determined. 116 people were infected, 14 of whom developed serious symptoms.

Interest in health and medical care in the pharmaceutical market

In addition, Malta has a well-developed pharmaceutical market with clinical and medical capabilities in several key areas, including neuroscience and cancer. Due to its long tradition in biomedical sciences, it is an attractive location for companies looking to establish themselves or develop partnerships in Malta during the forecast period.

For example, in 2021, ADVANZ PHARMA, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on combination drugs in Europe, announced the grade and symptoms of MYRELEZ (lanreotide), the first generic lanreotide for the treatment of acromegaly, and gastroendocrine neoplasia grade I and type II. It is associated with neuroendocrine tumors.

In addition, the use of Maltese patients as participants in clinical trials opens the Maltese healthcare system to a wider perspective, and according to a 2020 WHO report, WHO officials included the first patients from Malta and Spain in the development of the treatment. Anti-coronavirus medicines are historic.

The pharmaceutical category is expected to occupy the largest share of the pharmaceutical market in Malta. Malta Statistics Office 2020 The report indicates that the drivers of the market for this sector are the aging of the population and technological progress or until 2060.

Medical assistance in Malta

Increase in health costs, R&D, product launches and market-driven M&A, for example, according to the Department of Statistics, total health costs in Malta in 2021 amounted to $4,17,762 million.

According to the same source, per capita spending on housing in Malta has increased over the past decade. In 2021, per capita spending in Malta amounted to $77.244 million.

Health protection in Malta

There are two types of health claims:

Compulsory insurance

Compulsory health insurance covers general and emergency health services and check-ups.

Supplementary insurance

Supplementary health insurance is optional and you pay an additional amount. You can apply for supplementary health insurance if you are covered by compulsory health insurance.

In addition, sickness insurance is highly recommended, as it covers the difference between the total cost of salary services and the compulsory sickness insurance portion.

It also covers all types of benefits in all areas of health care, including primary care, special tests and diagnostics, laboratory tests, physiotherapy, specialist services, hospitalization and free medicines, which can be expensive.

There are several private or public health insurance companies to choose from. The price of a monthly supplementary health insurance is usually around 70 kuna.

* Health service available

The access of foreigners to health services in Malta depends on the status of their place of residence and whether or not they have a medical certificate.

Asylum seeker

-If you are an asylum seeker, you will receive:

Emergency medical assistance and treatment of serious illnesses and mental disorders.

If necessary, transfer to medical facilities.

Urgent and emergency dental care.

The copy and urgent and urgent medical services are provided free of charge to asylum seekers in the government payroll system, and an organization called Doctors of the World provides payroll services to asylum seekers in reception centers in Malta.

In addition, the presence of drug dealers and pharmacies is expected to be an important factor in the pharmaceutical market. Most pharmacies in Malta operate as private companies and the only public pharmacies are hospital pharmacies.

As mentioned earlier, pharmacies are part of the Maltese healthcare system and as the number of pharmacies increases, the public consumes more medicines.

For example, according to the report “Pharmacies and Medicines in Malta”, after the amendment of the Pharmacy Act in Malta, pharmacies have become more accessible to the public. The number of pharmacies in Malta in 2021 reached 1031.