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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.

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[-] chalupapocalypse@lemmy.world 265 points 1 month ago

"Why do we send all these people food"

So they don't have to eat fucking bats with covid-9000

[-] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 68 points 1 month ago

It's hard to explain international politics. This was a great example of doing it right.

[-] troybot@midwest.social 30 points 1 month ago

covid-9000

Sweet name for a Nu Metal band

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[-] Squorlple@lemmy.world 235 points 1 month ago

the first outbreak in the town of Boloko began after three children ate a bat

You’re kidding me

[-] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 99 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Inb4 congo virus lab conspiracy theory

[-] robbinhood@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

there have been legitimate concerns that the ongoing violence in the DRC could result in lab leaks and whatnot. I believe there are or at least once were some small lab outputs in DRC bush set up to help with monitoring for diseases.

[-] solrize@lemmy.world 44 points 1 month ago

EBFO? Eat a bat and find out.

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[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 85 points 1 month ago

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,”

That's also great news because it's easy to identify infections, quarantine, and contain. What would be really worrying is a hemorrhagic fever with an incubation period of 5-21 days a la covid.

[-] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 147 points 1 month ago

Just because they died right after showing symptoms does mean that's when they were infected. Maybe you're contagious for 3 weeks then cough twice and die.

Have a nice day.

[-] Maldreamer@lemmy.world 86 points 1 month ago

Have a nice day.

I don't think I will

[-] Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 30 points 1 month ago

Yeah no thanks, you have a nice day 🤣

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[-] modeler@lemmy.world 26 points 1 month ago

Absolutely!

Another example is HIV: Initial infection is just a minor flu, you're then infectious and active for 5-10 years before becoming seriously ill with AIDS (of course this is for untreated HIV). This allowed the illness to spread for decades adapting to humans before finally being identified in the 80s, killing millions.

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[-] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 1 month ago

That quote doesn't tell us anything about the incubation period unfortunately.

[-] ColeSloth@discuss.tchncs.de 74 points 1 month ago

Unless there's a longer dormant period where this is contagious, but shows no symptoms, this disease kills too quickly to become a world pandemic.

[-] Kushan@lemmy.world 49 points 1 month ago

Anyone that's played plague Inc knows how this goes. It's not a winning strategy.

[-] robbinhood@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Yeah but one of these days a virus is going to get smart and start up in New Zealand and Madagascar. Chuck in a long asymptomatic (edit: contagious period) and game over.

Come to think of it, why haven't viruses done this yet? What are they, stupid?

[-] Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago

What I never got about this game is that when the virus mutates, ALL copies of that virus mutate in the exact same way. Couldn't they make a realistic version?

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[-] martinb@lemmy.sdf.org 16 points 1 month ago

Asymptomatic until ready then the whole tree in one minute

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[-] shplane@lemmy.world 27 points 1 month ago

Not with that attitude

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[-] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 72 points 1 month ago

Note to self: Do NOT eat bats. Even if Mom says, "We're having bat tonight".

[-] Maggoty@lemmy.world 55 points 1 month ago

When this civilization falls and the next one is beginning there's going to be a religious ban on eating bats.

[-] HughJorgens@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago

If it flaps, you slaps. Amen.

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[-] Lumiluz@slrpnk.net 53 points 1 month ago

The year is 2024.

Trump is elected president.

Somewhere in the world, a butterfly flaps to the left instead of the right.

A bat follows it.

[-] Sarmyth@lemmy.world 15 points 1 month ago
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[-] Kyrgizion@lemmy.world 47 points 1 month ago

Fuck yes! A deadly pandemic without long drawn out suffering? Sign me up!

[-] queermunist@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 month ago

Sadly, that makes this unlikely to go pandemic. If it kills too fast it can't spread.

We'll have to live a little while longer... 😒

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[-] underwire212@lemm.ee 19 points 1 month ago

Yeah those 48 hours don’t look too fun either though.

Feel awful for those affected.

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[-] HughJorgens@lemmy.world 40 points 1 month ago

If you want to stay up for a few nights, read The Hot Zone, which is about Ebola. Those bats are gonna kill us all someday, and there are so many of them!

[-] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 46 points 1 month ago

It's not the bat's fault really. If us humans would stop encroaching further into their territory and stopped warming the planet to the point of no return, we might not be having such extreme issues with zoonotic viruses we've never encountered before trying to kill us.

[-] JcbAzPx@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago

Don't even need that much; just stop eating them.

[-] HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 month ago

If people aren't living in the bat's territory they wouldn't be eating them either.

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[-] the_q@lemm.ee 35 points 1 month ago

The earth will be ok. One day we'll be gone and she'll be just fine.

[-] BigBenis@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Frankly, she'll be better off.

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[-] ElJefe@lemm.ee 23 points 1 month 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?

[-] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 52 points 1 month ago

Because they need to eat.

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

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[-] Wahots@pawb.social 31 points 1 month 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.

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 29 points 1 month ago

is it a matter of access to foods and resources

This is generally why people eat certain things, yes.

[-] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Pretty sure you eat anything possible when you're starving, and these children may have been.

[-] medicsofanarchy@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

We ordered the one that infects "red hat", not "fed bat". Blame a bad connection, but we're not paying for this Congo Labs. Try again. (Edit: forgot /s)

[-] aesthelete@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

ITT: People that think only bats get human-transmissible diseases.

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this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2025
513 points (99.6% liked)

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