Clean Cans Thoroughly Before Use: Dubai Municipality Advises Residents

drinking-cans

Dubai Municipality has urged residents to clean cans thoroughly before drinking from them as there have been cases worldwide of people dying after contracting Leptospirosis, AKA ‘Weil’s syndrome’ — a fatal bacterial disease — after they drank directly from tainted cans.

Rodents, raccoons, cattle, goats are common carriers of a bacteria called Leptospira. Leptospirosis is transmitted by the urine of an infected animal and is contagious as long as it is still moist. Although rats, mice, and moles are important primary hosts, a wide range of other mammals including dogs, deer, rabbits, hedgehogs, cows, sheep, raccoons, opossums, skunks, and certain marine mammals are able to carry and transmit the disease as secondary hosts. When humans come into contact with water contaminated by the urine or body fluids of infected animals, they are infected by the disease.

Basheer Hassan Yousuf, food safety expert at Dubai Municipality’s Food Control Department, however reassured residents there were no such cases in the UAE. “But people must take the effort to thoroughly clean cans before drinking from them directly. It is best if people can rinse the can with running water. Ideally the water should flow into any gaps on the top of the can too. But if someone does not have access to water immediately, they can wipe it with a tissue or a dry clean cloth.

“Our DM inspectors at different ports of entry take ample measures to ensure all cans coming to Dubai are thoroughly checked before they reach grocery shops and retailers,” he said.

Last year, an Indian expat in Dubai who was holidaying in a foreign country contracted an auto-immune disorder after drinking from a can contaminated with rat urine. He was kept in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a week in India where he slipped into a coma.

“I had a miraculous escape and ever since I have been educating [people] all around me on the importance of cleaning cans before opening them. Usually, people ignore this important safety measure and very few people take the effort to clean cans well before drinking from them. In fact, almost every day youngsters are drinking from cans without cleaning their hands or the can. This can be really dangerous,” said the expat who now lives in India.

Important steps before drinking from cans

Check for any stains on a can before drinking directly from it

Thoroughly rinse the can with water including the gaps on the top of the can

If you do not have access to water, wipe the can with a tissue or a dry clean cloth

It is better to buy cans which are sealed with a packet covering.