The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases, and “that’s what’s really worrying,” Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, told The Associated Press.

The latest disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on Jan. 21, and 419 cases have been recorded including 53 deaths.

According to the WHO’s Africa office, the first outbreak in the town of Boloko began after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours following hemorrhagic fever symptoms.

  • ElJefe@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    I apologize in advance for my ignorance. But why do people like to eat bats? Are they particularly nutritious? Or is it a matter of access to foods and resources? Are they really yummy? And why didn’t Ozzy contract any weird deadly disease?

    • Wahots@pawb.social
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      1 day ago

      This is why we had programs like USAID. To keep people from starving and eating infected animals harboring endemic viruses we know nothing about.

      Even in the US, it’s highly inadvisable to eat animals/bush meat infected with CWD even if it technically can’t infect humans …yet.

    • Kecessa
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      1 day ago

      Because they need to eat.

      Why do people eat chicken if there’s a risk of getting salmonella?

            • Rooskie91@discuss.online
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              1 day ago

              Why not eat something nice and normal that westerners think is normal instead of a bat though? I mean FFS

              Fixed that for you. You know different regions and cultures have different norms for foods, right?

              • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                1 day ago

                Do they? Most everywhere people eat basically the same shit. Preparation methods vary and there’s substitutions historically based on available resources but globalisation has practically obliterated all that.

                I’m not a westoid BTW I’ve traveled a decent amount.

                • funkless_eck
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                  1 day ago

                  people eat basically the same shit

                  Buffalo sauce is a rare sight in Europe, as is white gravy. Americans consider them an everyday occurrence.

                  • snowe@programming.dev
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                    23 hours ago

                    man what part of america are you in lol. I’ve never seen either of those as an everyday occurrence, though you will find them if you go to a southern fried chicken joint.

              • Buelldozer@lemmy.today
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                1 day ago

                I’m struggling to think of a single component of a hot dog or sausage that isn’t “normal” to eat everywhere in the world except for reasons of religion and even then it depends on what meat was used to make it.

                • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  1 day ago

                  You’re absolutely correct, in fact most food is usually variations on a theme e.g. meat in bread like sandwiches, burgers, burritos, tacos, dumplings… but this isn’t a popular opinion unfortunately.

            • Earthly3739@lemmynsfw.com
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              1 day ago

              You may be surprised to learn that “normal” changes based on your culture and geographic location.

              • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                1 day ago

                I’ve changed geographic location many times, there’s a huge difference between pickling vs. breading and eating fucking bats.

                Culture is a spook and an excuse for simpletons.

            • Tiger
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              1 day ago

              You ever eat a hot dog? Crazy stuff in there just as sketchy as bat.

                • Kecessa
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                  24 hours ago

                  Do you ask yourself the same thing when eating any other meat or you just have something against other cultures?

                  • LainTrain@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                    22 hours ago

                    Yes I do, I always wonder how it came to be, and if it’s unusual I wonder about why it remains to this day.

                    Do you not even realise how actually painfully racist it is to imply that their culture is eating known extreme risk factors for horrible diseases? It’s like saying having AIDS is queer “culture”. It’s so fucking patronising.

                    Guy above gave an actual response. My original comment was just wondering if something happened like extremely bad famine or war that would cause people to take such a risk.

            • Kecessa
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              1 day ago

              Unless you don’t eat meat you don’t have much of a leg to stand on right now

                • Kecessa
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                  1 day ago

                  Chicken is safe as long as you cook it properly

                  Beef is safe as long as you cook it properly

                  And guess what…

                  Bat is safe as long as you cook it properly

                  People get sick and die from under cooking beef and chicken all the time, will you stop eating it because of that?

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      is it a matter of access to foods and resources

      This is generally why people eat certain things, yes.