The Nunavut Department of Health is advising residents of Naujaat that a walrus harvested on August 10, 2026, has tested positive for trichinella.<\/p>\n
Naujaat is an Inuit hamlet located directly on the Arctic Circle in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut, Canada.<\/p>\n
If you have eaten any uncooked walrus recently, and have experienced stomach pain, muscle pain, diarrhea, swollen eyelids, sweating and weakness, you may be infected with trichinella. Let your health-care provider know that you ate uncooked walrus if you have any of these symptoms.<\/p>\n
Testing your walrus is the only way to determine if your meat is safe and prevent anyone from getting trichinosis. Before eating walrus that someone else caught, ask if it has been tested. Freezing or fermenting meat will not kill trichinella; it can only be killed when cooked. Hunters who get their meat tested are protecting their communities. Any walrus could have trichinella. The department encourages and thanks those hunters who opted to have their walrus tested for trichinella.<\/p>\n