Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : February 18, 2023 2:01 PM IST
Qatar had imposed temporary ban on the import of frozen seafood from India November last year just ahead of the FIFA World Cup, over alleged detection of Vibrio cholerae from a few consignments from India. Following a rally of discussions between the Department of Commerce under the Government of India and Qatar's Ministry of Public Health, the ban has been finally lifted.
The Qatari authorities issued a notification about lifting the ban on frozen seafood from India on February 16. However, the West Asian country continues to impose restrictions on the export of chilled seafood from India, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said.
Mention may be made that a few days back, on February 14, China had lifted suspension of 99 Indian seafood-processing exporters after acknowledging India's assurance over source control.
The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), a statutory body functioning under the Department of Commerce, along with other agencies had played a crucial role in getting lifted Beijing's suspension of a total of 110 units since December 2020.
MPEDA Chairman Shri D.V. Swami is expecting that the restrictions on the chilled seafood will also be cleared soon after a reassessment of the situation.
Cholera is an intestinal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which one can get infected with through ingestion of contaminated food or water. It can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea. Symptoms of cholera may appear between 12 hours and 5 days after ingesting contaminated food or water.
In most cases, people infected with V. cholerae will have no or mild symptoms that can be successfully treated with oral rehydration solution. However, severely ill patients will require rapid treatment with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. If left untreated, this acute diarrhoeal disease can kill infected people within hours.
According to WHO, an estimated 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera are reported to occur every year, causing thousands of deaths worldwide.
