Iqaluit residents anxiously awaiting fresh walrus meat from a recent hunt can rest easy knowing the meat is safe to eat, after samples of walrus tongues have all tested negative for a potentially deadly parasite.

Samples of walrus tongues sent from the Nunavut capital to a laboratory in Kuujjuaq all tested negative Wednesday for trichinella, a tiny parasitic roundworm that can be found in raw meats, including walrus and seal.

The tongue samples came from a successful walrus hunt over the weekend in Frobisher Bay.

When the Iqaluit-based hunters came back with nine walruses, Nunavut health officials and the local hunters and trappers organization advised them to keep and store the meat until samples could be analyzed for the parasite.

Even though the test results came back negative, the meat has yet to be distributed.

Trichinella can cause trichinosis, a gastrointestinal illness can lead to flu-like symptoms and, in severe cases, death.

Earlier this week, Nunavut deputy chief medical officer Geraldine Osborne told CBC News that a small percentage of the walrus population has trichinella.

"If there's no sign of this trichinella, then it's perfectly safe to eat raw," she said Monday.

"In fact, I must say I'd encourage people to eat walrus meat: It's very nutritious, it's a very good food to eat. So I certainly don't want to put anybody off eating it."

Aging or freezing raw walrus meat does not kill trichinella, she said, noting that the meat has be cooked thoroughly to kill the worm.

A 2002 outbreak of 16 cases in Repulse Bay prompted the Nunavut Health Department to launch a meat testing program, in an effort to cut down on the number of trichinosis cases in the territory.

Symptoms of trichinosis infection can include diarrhea, muscle pain, fever and lethargy, Osborne said. The symptoms can develop within days or up to three weeks.