Clearing the air around the coronavirus

*this is an emerging global story. Please ensure you research and follow trusted international and local media sources for updates*

There is much confusion regarding the risk of transmission of the novel (new) coronavirus (2019-nCoV) via meat and other food products. FACTS has received many queries relating to the issue, from the risk of food fraud to questions about the consumption of meat and testing for the virus. We have compiled this article to increase awareness around exactly what the coronavirus is, and whether it can be spread through meat or animals.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently monitoring an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel form of coronavirus named 2019-nCoV. Named after its crown-like shape, this virus was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses common in many different species of animals, including camels, cats, cattle and bats. On rare occasions, animal coronaviruses can infect people adversely, and ultimately spread from person to person, as coronaviruses such as MERS and SARS have done previously.

Although the epicentre was a Chinese wet market, where people coexisted in cramped quarters alongside both live and dead animals – and which also sold processed meats and live, consumable animals such as poultry, donkeys, sheep, pigs, camels, foxes, badgers, bamboo rats, hedgehogs and reptiles – it’s not accurate to say that the transmissibility of the virus is linked to eating meat, or to dead animals. It is thought to be linked to contact with live animals.

Some scientists have postulated that it may have originated in bats, but there is currently no evidence supporting this. Recently, others have argued that the first human victim(s) were infected by contact with a snake. But whether transmission originated in bats or in animals, this scenario would only apply in the vicinity where the outbreak occurred: if it was through bats, then only the bats in that area, not bats throughout the world.

This is not the first time a disease has spread from animals to humans. In studying this phenomenon, it is vital to differentiate between fact and myth.

There is no evidence that humans can be infected by 2019-nCoV via the consumption of food previously exposed to humans who have transmitted the coronavirus. There is no evidence that 2019-nCoV is present in any meat or animals of Chinese origin. To date, no animals have been quarantined or slaughtered. This did not occur during the MERS and SARS outbreaks either.

Furthermore, 2019-nCoV has not been found on meat, meat products or packaging. Viruses can only live for a few hours on hard surfaces; the only way 2019-nCoV is being spread between people is through close contact and via droplet spread.

However, raw meat and animals from live animal markets have other well-known and documented risks associated with disease, e.g. E.coli, salmonella, etc.

In 2002, China was in the spotlight when Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) was found to have been transmitted from civet cats to humans. In 2005, Avian influenza, or ‘bird flu’, emerged – a disease caused by a virus that occurs naturally among birds.

In Saudi Arabia in 2013, the MERS-CoV virus was transmitted from camels to humans. The latest MERS-CoV cases were reported on 9 and 13 January 2020*.

Remember that the animal source of 2019-nCoV has not yet been identified with certainty.

On their Advice to the Public webpage, regarding the coronavirus outbreak, The World Health Organisation recommends these general precautions:

“As a general precaution, practise general hygiene measures when visiting live animal markets, wet markets or animal product markets.

“Ensure regular handwashing with soap and potable water after touching animals and animal products; avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with hands; and avoid contact with sick animals or spoiled animal products. Strictly avoid any contact with other animals in the market (e.g. stray cats and dogs, rodents, birds, bats). Avoid contact with potentially contaminated animal waste or fluids in the soil or on the structures of shops and market facilities.

“Avoid consumption of raw or undercooked animal products.

“Handle raw meat, milk or animal organs with care to avoid cross-contamination with uncooked foods, as per good food safety practices.”

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention website does not mention meat or animals as ways that 2019-nCoV can spread. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has noted that the exact transmission methods of this virus are “still limited”, that the transmission routes of other, closely related coronaviruses are well known (droplet emission and subsequent inhalation), and that there are currently no cases that have shown evidence of humans being infected by another route – including consumption of contaminated food products. (However, transmission via surfaces that have recently been contaminated with the virus is possible, through ‘smear infections’. But considering that the virus has low stability in such an environment, this is only likely to happen for a very short period after contamination.)

The information conveyed here is based on present knowledge. As the virus could mutate further, these details may change. For example, at present 2019-nCoV has a low fatality rate, of 2.1% (compared to 9.6% for SARS), but this may change. Seasonal flu kills 291 000 to 646 000 people worldwide each year, according to a new estimate that is higher than the previous one, of 250 000 to 500 000 deaths a year. These new figures, from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups, were published on 13 December 2019 in the medical journal The Lancet.

To prevent misinformation among the public and unnecessary public unrest, trusted sources of information should be sourced, from local or international organisations such as:

• Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Health Laboratory Service
• World Health Organisation

*Data subject to change.