Nearly 50 people have been taken ill with a type of meningitis, after they ate undercooked Amazonian snails in Chinese restaurants. This has also rendered five people seriously ill in different hospitals in China.

Researchers have disclosed, that a single Amazonian snail carries nearly 3,000 to 6,000 parasites that can cause harm to the human nervous system, and trigger headaches, facial paralysis, meningitis and fever. Snails from the restaurants were tested and many of them were found to be infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a meningitis-causing parasite.

The Beijing Office of Food Safety has warned the public against consumption of raw fish, shrimp, snail, crab, frogs and snakes, and has stressed the importance of safety measures and stricter controls of aquatic products in super markets.