Authorities urge proper cooking of wild game after 6 relatives fall ill from parasite in bear meat

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reaffirmed the importance of properly cooking wild game after six people became sick from a parasite traced to bear meat that was served at a family reunion in South Dakota. The six live in South Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona. They became infected when bear meat was served rare and turned out to be contaminated with roundworms that cause trichinosis. The CDC says persons who consume wild game should be aware that that adequate cooking is the only reliable way to kill the parasites, and that infected meat can cross-contaminate other food.