Scientists in Cameroon have warned that eating monkeys and apes could cause the next HIV.
They are already tracking a HIV-like virus called simian foamy virus, and fear more viruses could spread and lead to a global health crisis.
80 per cent of the meat eaten in Cameroon is killed in the wild and is known as ‘bushmeat’,with gorilla, chimpanzee or monkey favourites.
According to oneestimate, up to 3,000 gorillas are slaughtered in southern Cameroon every year.
Elsewhere, the Washington-based Bush Meat Crisis Task Force estimates that up to five milliontons of wild animals are being ‘harvested’ in the Congo Basin every year – the equivalent of 10 million cattle.
A study earlier this year by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identified evidence of viruses,including simian foamy virus, in illegally imported wildlife products confiscated at several U.S. international airports, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental-Houston and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International.
