Here’s a bit of a cautionary tale from the UK about the importance of preparing and cooking your food well even when out and about in your caravan and motorhome.
Sure, the kitchen space may not be as well appointed or as spacious as it might be in a house but that doesn’t mean standards should slip.
British publication, the Caravan Times, reports that a man who cooked a pork chop in is caravan stove became paralysed after eating it. This happened some five months ago and father of three Darren Ashall from Chorley in Lancashire, is only now on the road to recovery,
Darren has finally been released from intensive care and he is adjusting to life at home.
Local media reports that, despite still suffering some of the side-effects of listeria meningitis – the bug he caught from the ill-prepared chop – the plant operator is in good spirits.
“I am definitely getting better. The feeling of going out in the fresh air after being stuck indoors for months was amazing,” he said. “The first thing I did when I got home was eat a bacon buttie – I’d been really longing for one after being in hospital for so long.”
Darren is one of just 200 people worldwide to have been diagnosed with this rare disease, which he caught after failing to cook his meat properly on a caravan stove.
He said: ‘I thought one of the chops wasn’t cooked properly. I regretted eating it straight away. I knew it was a mistake,” he said. “’A month later I went to hospital thinking I was having a heart attack. After three days, my face started drooping on one side and people thought I was having a stroke. ‘I was treated for that, but nothing helped.’
Darren had picked up the listeria bug, which can lay dormant for up to 70 days.
Caravan owners are advised that the symptoms of meningitis are similar to those of the common cold. The elderly, and those with compromised immune systems are at greatest risk of developing Listeria meningitis. While the illness is often fatal it is extremely rare so there is no need to panic.
However, it is a reminder that we should all take care in preparing and cooking our food correctly wherever we are. See our story on food hygiene for some guidance.
