Chinese eating “bat soup” may be cause of deadly coronavirus

[yazin]

Bats could "host" the coronavirus, according to experts, and pictures have emerged of locals in Wuhan eating soup with the flying animals

Bats could "host" the coronavirus, according to experts, and pictures have emerged of locals in Wuhan eating soup with the flying animals

Chinese scientists have blamed the deadly coronavirus on bats and pictures have emerged of Wuhan residents eating soup made from the animals.

Experts suggested bats could "host" the virus in a paper published to the China Science Bulletin on Tuesday and admitted the pneumonia-like virus was "underestimated" by the research community.

China has confirmed over 500 cases of the disease in the country and has since quarantined Wuhan as the Coronavirus continues to spread.

It is not yet clear how the virus has spread between humans and bats but scientists believe “there may be an unknown intermediate”.

But Daily Star Online can reveal the "unknown" link may be be bat soup which is an unusual but widely consumed Chinese delicacy in the Wuhan province.



Footage of the potentially lethal soup emerged on social media earlier this week.

In one clip, a girl can be seen putting a black bat into her mouth with a pair of chopsticks as she sits down for dinner with friends.

On a separate occasion a Wuhan resident took a picture of a dead bat grinning at the camera before eating the creature.

The animal’s cooked insides can be seen in the disturbing image, with parts of the broth floating inside its stomach, along with its teeth.

In a statement released to the South China Morning Post scientists said: "The Wuhan coronavirus’ natural host could be bats … but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate."

News of the bat soup comes as the Foreign Office warned Brits not to travel to Wuhan amid fears of a global outbreak.

Figures suggest 552 cases have been confirmed in the country across 22 different provinces.

The SARS-like virus has already claimed the lives of 17 people, with cases confirmed in China, Japan, Korea and the US.

Chinese authorities have told people to stop travel in and out of Wuhan and cars are believed to of been blocked by authorities.

Professor Neil Ferguson, director of the Medical Research Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, said the estimated number of people infected with coronavirus in Wuhan is around 4,000, with a range between 1,000 and 9,700.
 

[cooler]

Damn Chinese

[Syyo]

this is stupid

[trevy]

they will become batman

[Faucet y Cisco]

I will never eat this