Is it safe to eat the Filipino version of 'Bat Soup' and 'Adobong Civet Cat'?
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With Novel Wuhan Coronavirus on the verge of being declared as a pandemic, would you still try these exotic foods which are believed to have been the source of the virus?
The 2019 Novel Coronavirus has the world arrested in either fear or death. The latest reports say that the deadly virus has already killed a total of 638 people and has now spread to some parts of the world, infecting 31, 493 people to date.
READ: What you need to know about the 2019-nCoV Coronavirus and how to prevent it
According to the New York Times, officials and scientists believe that “the [2019 Novel Coronavirus] new virus also appears to have originated in bats and made the jump to another mammal, though which one is not yet clear.”
On the home front, the recent episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho talked about how in some parts of the Philippines, exotic animals like bats and civet cats are prepared and served as meals for locals and tourists alike.
“Hindi kami nagkaka-sakit. At saka meron pang pruweba doon na nagbibigay ito ng lakas kasi 'yung kinakain nila ay prutas, at walang dumi,” says a certain Alex, a Filipino bat hunter.
What the experts say
Infectious disease specialist, Dr. Arthur Dessi Roman, says that there around 300 coronavirus species present among bats.
“Another characteristic kung bakit bats ang common source ng mga exotic infections na ito is because they travel from one place to another, and that can facilitate transmission of this coronavirus infections,” he added.
The civet cat, another exotic animal also relished by Filipinos as adobo, is suspected to cause the new strain of coronavirus. Also known as musang or alamid, this type of mammal that was once abundant in the Philippines is now considered as endangered.
Learn more about this topic in this full episode of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho:
