You may want to hold of going to that New York City fish market. Officials have announced that at least 30 people who handled fresh fish or seafood at Chinese markets in the city ended up with a gruesome skin rash.
The rare rash is actually a bacterial outbreak known as Mycobacterium marinum. The fact that it's sweeping through New York's Chinatown has now prompted city officials to warn people to take precautions when handling raw or live fish, according to Health Newsline. The 30 cases of this rash that have emerged so far have centered around seafood markets in Queens, Sunset Park in Brooklyn and Chinatown in Lower Manhattan.
The symptoms of this infection include red, tender lumps and swelling under the skin of the hands or arms. Those who are infected also sometimes develop swelling or pain in their hands or arms, and have trouble moving their fingers. Anyone infected should seek medical attention and take antibiotics, according to Boston.com.
"You have to be careful where you buy your fish now," said David Williams, 45, who usually buys fish from Chinatown markets, in an interview with NY Daily News. "I'm going to go to other places. This needs to be investigated so the bad fish don't make it to the markets."
There's actually no threat when it comes to consuming the questionable seafood. Handling it, though, is another matter. The bacteria can spread from contaminated seafood to exposed cuts in human skin. That's why patrons and employees at these fish markets are now being encouraged to wear gloves.
"This is a very uncommon bacteria so the fact that we've detected 30 cases so far suggests that something has changed, either about the water in the tank or the tanks themselves or the types of fish or seafood that are causing this problem," said Jay Varma, the deputy commissioner for disease control, in an interview with Health Newsline.
The infection can actually look like any other common skin infection, so some of those infected have gone for weeks without treatment. Currently, officials are investigating this issue a bit further in order to track down the contaminated fish in question.
