Medical Veterinary of IPB University Gave the Advice to Prevent of Corona Virus Infections
Coronavirus or Corona Virus appeared in Wuhan, China in early 2020. This new type of virus has killed 80 people and has spread to many countries. Speculation and allegations have shown up to realize the cause of the virus. One of them comes from bat soup, a popular food in Wuhan.
Prof. Drh Agus Setiyono MS, Ph.D., APVet, a pathologist at the Faculty of Veterinary Medical, IPB University, has been researching fruit bats in collaboration with the Research Center for Zoonosis Control (RCZC), Hokkaido University, Japan. From the research, six new virus types were found in fruit bats with sample areas are Bukit tinggi, Bogor, Panjalu (Ciamis), Gorontalo, Manado, and Soppeng (South Sulawesi). The viruses are coronavirus, bufavirus, polyomavirus, alphaherpesvirus, paramyxovirus and gammaherpesvirus
Hi's confessed, consuming fruit bats can risk of the coronavirus if the preparation of cooking bats is not correct. Coronavirus can be inside the bat's body without causing medical problems for bats and this virus does not specifically live inside fruit bats. "Other animals also have the possibility of becoming the source of the virus," he said.
The geographical location of fruit bats is not defined as the spread of the virus because this virus is generally found in fruit bats wherever its form. So, it's not only in Wuhan. There is a chance that Indonesian countries can be infected by the Coronavirus because bats can fly very far and move the habitats following the fruit season as their main food.
"Bats have a unique immune system. There are various viruses inside the body and not only the coronavirus but many more pathogens that have the potential for zoonoses (diseases that can naturally be transmitted from vertebrate animals to humans or vice versa). And this is not 'expel' as an unusual object by bats, "explained Prof. Agus Setiyono.
Prof. Agus gave the advice to be able to prevent coronavirus attacks. First of all, do not have contact with bats either directly or indirectly. Second, do not eat the ripe piece fruit of the tree had eaten by bats, although this is usually the sweetest. Third, it is better for some people with a culture of consuming vegetables or anything from bats to reconsider to continue consuming that food. "There are still many good and healthy functional foods," he concluded. (IAAS/ ASH)
