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This dietary habit give rise to many health concerns especially in view of the current COVID-19 pandemic. @Shutterstock
The concept of eating dog meat may be alien to a vast majority of people. But it is prevalent in quite a few regions especially in South East Asia. This is also prevalent in a couple of states in India's North East. Taking a cue from neighbouring Mizoram, the Nagaland government has banned the trade and consumption of dog meat. The Mizoram government had also recently taken steps to check the open slaughtering of dogs in the state and in March the Mizoram Assembly unanimously passed the Animal Slaughter Bill 2020. Humane Society International/India (HIS/INDIA) said in a statement that Mizoram is the first state in northeast India that has taken a step towards ending its dog meat trade, by amending the law to remove dogs from the definition of animals suitable for slaughter.
Around 30 million dogs and 10 million cats are killed across Asia for human consumption annually, with the trade most widespread in China, South Korea, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and several parts of north east India. However, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore have banned the dog meat trade and consumption. This practice is also prevalent in some places in Europe, Russia, Africa and Latin America. This dietary habit give rise to many health concerns especially in view of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, eating dog meat can lead to the transfer of many diseases to humans. Let us look at a few of them.
The bacteria that causes cholera is found in dog meat. You can acquire this bacteria even if you eat food from a place that serves dog meat. In fact, according to WHO, the eating dog meat is linked to a 20-fold increase in the risk of getting cholera.
This is a zoonotic parasite that is spread from dogs to humans. It causes inflammation in the blood vessels. This causes hemorrhages in the nail beds and eyes. It can also lead to extreme muscle weakness and may even be fatal in some cases.
There is indiscriminate use of antibiotics in most dog farms to prevent outbreak of diseases. This has contributed to the rise in superbugs. According to a study by the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, drug-resistant infections may kill almost 10 million more people each year by 2050 if overuse of antibiotics is not stopped. Eating dog meat laden with antibiotics will lead to more infections that are antibiotic-resistant.
There is some confusion among scientists regarding the spread of rabies via dog meat consumption. Many say that heat when meat is cooked kills this virus. But others say that sometimes this may not be enough. Since there is no cure for this condition, dog meat eaters must get the rabies vaccine to be on the safe side.
Dog meat may also contain parasites like E. Coli and salmonella. If you eat dog meat, you may also be exposing yourself to bacterial infections like anthrax, brucellosis, hepatitis, and leptospirosis, which may be present in the meat.
(With inputs from IANS)