Over 50 people were rushed to various hospitals in South Africa after eating meat from a cow that had reportedly died from a snake bite.
The incident happened at Mpoza Village outside Tsolo in the Eastern Cape Province.
The province’s department of health spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, said the patients confirmed they had eaten the meat from the carcass of an animal that had died after being bitten by a snake.
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He said the patients experienced diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches and stomach cramps, according to a report by News24.com.
Among those who were ill were 16 children, eight of whom had been transferred to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital’s paediatric ward, while the others were treated at Mthatha Regional Hospital.
Kupelo said four elderly patients were also transferred to Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital for further treatment.
Kupelo said the department was urging communities to stop consuming meat from dead animals as it was dangerous to do so.
