Curious about bat soup? Heres why you should avoid it!
The deaths of more than 60 people have been linked to the consumption of bat soup and other bat products in the African nation of…
Bat soup blamed as deadly Ebola virus spreads. (Shutterstock)
The deaths of more than 60 people have been linked to the consumption of bat soup and other bat products in the African nation of Guinea. According to reports, bats are a natural host for deadly Ebola virus, and it is that virus that has been indicated in the outbreak.
Ebola is a hemorrhagic virus spread close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates Ebola can cause several forms of hemorrhagic fever, and when it does, 90 percent of cases are fatal.
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In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found dead or ill in the rainforest.
“We discovered the vector [infectious] agent of the Ebola virus is the bat,” Remy Lamah, the countrys health minister, told Bloomberg News. “We sent messages everywhere to announce the ban. People must even avoid consumption of rats and monkeys. They are very dangerous animals.”
To stop outbreak, Guinean officials have taken the unusual step of banning consumption of bat soup. (Shutterstock)
Ebola outbreaks can be difficult to quell, however, because transmission can also occur from human-to-human. Someone who has contracted Ebola virus through eating contaminated meat can then pass the infection on to others through contact with bodily fluids.
In some situations, such as Ebola through sexually transmitted means, infection can occur up to seven weeks after the infected person has seemingly recovered.
“EHF (Ebola hemorrhagic fever) is a severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat,” states WHO.
“This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. Laboratory findings show low counts of white blood cells and platelets as well as elevated liver enzymes.”
Currently there is no specific treatment of vaccine for Ebola, making it even more deadly in less developed nations of the world.
Bats have often seemed like a safe source of food for native of Guinea; even when infected with Ebola virus the animals often do not show any symptoms. The lack of outward sickness has kept bats as a staple in many local diets.
David Hayman, a wildlife epidemiologist at Colorado State University, told LiveScience there appears to be something unique about bats when it comes to zoonotic diseases. For an unknown reason bats seem able to host a number of dangerous pathogens without being harmed by them themselves.
Bats are also considered hosts for rabies, histoplasmosis, SARS, Nipah (which causes deadly brain fevers), Hendra (a lethal respiratory disease), Marburg, and Lyssaviruses, among others.
