A skin infection suffered by abattoir employees did not originate from animals taken for slaughter, preliminary investigations have indicated.

Sources told Times of Malta six workers of the Marsa abattoir had to be treated at Boffa Hospital but a spokeswoman for the Parliamentary Secretariat for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights insisted that the management had only been informed of two cases. The first took place at the end of January and the other last Friday.

“To date, only two butchers have been certified to be suffering from ringworm.

“No animals were found to be suffering from ringworm at the abattoir,” the spokeswoman said.

Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin and has nothing to do with a worm.

It causes a scaly, crusted rash that becomes itchy and occurs when a type of fungus called tinea grows and multiplies on the skin.

This infection, known in Maltese as ħżież, is not found on pigs

It can be successfully treated with antifungal medication applied either in the form of a cream or taken orally.

Ringworm can easily spread from one person to another, even by just touching someone who has the infection or coming into contact with items contaminated by the fungus.

People who come into close contact with large numbers of animals, such as farmers, abattoir workers, shearers, knackery employees and veterinarians, are at a higher risk of contracting a zoonotic disease – animal diseases that also affect humans.

The sources noted ringworm would not be dangerous for consumers because it was a fungus on the animal’s skin. Once the skin was removed, the fungus died.

The spokeswoman said abattoir staff involved in the slaughter of animals were now wearing protective clothing “for maximum precaution”.

The president of the Pig Breeders Cooperative, Mario Abela, noted that pigs were safe and free of the infection. He pointed out that pigs were not carriers of the fungal infection, which was usually found on cows, sheep and goats.

“This infection, known in Maltese as ħżież, is not found on pigs. Our pigs are clean and free of any infections and there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Consumers can rest assured that the local produce is of optimum quality,” Mr Abela said.