The spread of the deadly coronavirus could be down to soup made from bats as photos emerge of people in a Chinese city eating the delicacy. Experts suggested bats could host the virus, which has killed 17 people, in a paper published in the China Science Bulletin – admitting the pneumonia-like virus was "underestimated" by the research community. China has confirmed over 500 cases of the disease and has since quarantined Wuhan as the coronavirus continues to spread. It is not yet clear how the virus has spread between humans and bats but scientists believe “there may be an unknown intermediate”. But Daily Star Online can reveal the "unknown" link may be down bat soup which is an unusual but widely consumed Chinese delicacy. Footage of people eating the potentially lethal soup emerged on social media this week. In one clip, a girl can be seen putting a black bat into her mouth with a pair of chopsticks as she sits down for dinner with friends. On a separate occasion a Wuhan resident took a picture of a dead bat grinning at the camera before eating it. The animal’s cooked insides can be seen in the disturbing image, with parts of the broth floating inside its stomach, along with its teeth. In a statement released to the South China Morning Post, scientists said: "The Wuhan coronavirus’ natural host could be bats … but between bats and humans there may be an unknown intermediate." News of the bat soup comes as the Foreign Office warned Brits not to travel to Wuhan amid fears of a global outbreak. Figures suggest 552 cases have been confirmed in the country across 22 different provinces. Actual figures are likely to be much higher, with leading Virologists suggesting billions could be at risk. The SARS-like virus has seen cases confirmed in China, Japan, Korea and the US. Chinese authorities have told people to stop travel in and out of Wuhan and cars are believed to have been blocked by authorities. Professor Neil Ferguson, director of the Medical Research Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, said the estimated number of people infected with coronavirus in Wuhan is around 4,000, with a range between 1,000 and 9,700. Source
