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As Ebola scourges Congo, experts warn of link to eating wild animals
The Congo Basin supplies millions of tons of wild meat each year, and officials say hunting and processing infected animals can expose people to Ebola.
- The Congolese government has confirmed more than 1,000 suspected cases and at least 220 deaths since declaring an Ebola outbreak on May 15, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain lacking approved vaccines.
- Despite health risks, demand for wild meat from the Congo Basin persists, with an estimated 4.5 million tons extracted annually as a primary source of animal protein for many residents.
- At the Masina Market in Kinshasa, vendor Charles Ntanga sells wild game including rodents priced at about $17 per kilogram, while authorities prohibit endangered species hunting but impose no blanket wildlife trade ban.
- Some individuals remain "totally ignorant" of the health threat from consuming wild meat, said Dr. Misaki Wayengera, a microbiologist advising Uganda's Ministry of Health, who noted changing these practices is very difficult.
- Public health campaigners need stepped-up education, said Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, founder of the Uganda-based Conservation Through Public Health, telling communities that "eating meat from an unknown source, or a dead animal, is a no-no.
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54 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources54
Leaning Left14Leaning Right6Center27Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
L 30%
C 57%
13%
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