Adults‚ children in hospital after eating meat from dead cow

Do not eat meat from a carcass of an animal that you stumbled across.

The Eastern Cape health department issued this warning after more than 50 adults and children who ate the meat of a dead cow were rushed to various hospitals on Thursday in the province.

Patients from Mpoza village outside Tsolo had symptoms including diarrhea‚ vomiting‚ headaches and stomach cramps. They explained that they had eaten the meat of a cow which had apparently died after being bitten by a snake.

“The department is urging communities to stop consuming meat from dead animals you find as it is dangerous to do so‚” said spokesman Sizwe Kupelo.

Kupelo said in a statement that patients were initially ferried to Dr Malizo Mpehle hospital in Tsolo. They included 16 children who were later transferred to Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital and Mthatha Regional Hospital to receive specialist medical treatment.

Four elderly patients were transferred to Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital.