Snails , the Yoruba Ìgbín, is a killer snail in Brazil . The African snail , Caramujo in Portuguese, and according to Brazilians , hosts killer worms that causes problems in the digestive tract and serious infections.
The Brazilian people sees the snail as deadly , they say it is dangerous to any society because it transmits serious infections that could lead to instant death .
Tagged Caramujo Africano , The African snail kills . Scientists in Brazil recommends collection and disposal with care. they advise how to eliminate the snails from the Brazilian society “ The ideal is to place them in a container with boiling water and chlorine “ says expert attached to the health ministry.
Snails , a food in the Yoruba land , and eatable in most African countries , including Nígeria are tagged dangerous in the Latin American country , Brazilians say the type from Africa comes out in the rainy season in some regions of Brazil , they are considered invaders who produces killer worms that can terminate live
“ The Snails look harmless, but they are dangerous. These snails became popularly known as African snails. They were brought from Africa to Brazil in the early 1980s to be served as escargot, but they were not well accepted and were discarded into the forest
They liked the Brazilian climate and reproduced quickly. The female can generate up to 400 eggs at a time. With no natural predators and plenty of food, they spread across the country.
We know that the infestation is very high all over the country and, when the rain starts, they start to bother, because they start to reproduce, they start to appear more and then they bother. Several states have this large infestation of this snail”, explains researcher Silvana Thiengo, from Fiocruz.
Snails are hardly seen in places like Saopaulo, Rio de Janeiro because the government of these states are aware of the animal , so all cautions are taken to avoid the contact with human .
However, In Aracaju, another capital in Brazil , snails pose problems , there are records of snails throughout the city. In Teresina, a resident has already spread over 20 kilos of coarse salt around her house this month. It is a way to prevent the animals from approaching. Experts do not recommend using salt so as not to harm the soil.
During the rainy season in São Luís, they come out of their burrows, and many houses and buildings are covered with snails. They are hosts of worms that can cause serious infections.
This type of worm, in contact with persons , can cause two characteristic symptoms. One is in the digestive tract, with colic, diarrhea. The most serious one is when it reaches the nervous system, at the brain level, which is eosinophilic meningitis, and this causes a series of disorders, convulsions, it can even lead to early death, for sure”, warns biologist Kelton Kylson.
Since 2006, there have been 40 cases of eosinophilic meningitis in the country, with at least one death in Pernambuco, in 2010. But, according to Fiocruz, there may be underreporting because it is a disease of difficult diagnosis.
Snails also pose a risk after death, because the hulls accumulate stagnant water and can become breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti, which transmits dengue, chikungunya and zika. Experts recommend that snails be collected and disposed of carefully.
“If you come across the snail, never handle it unprotected. Always with your hands protected by a glove. If you don’t have a glove available, put a plastic bag”, instructs José Chagas, supervisor of endemic diseases.
“There are days when we wake up with the walls all full. The plantations, the acerolas we don’t eat anymore, because there are too many snails. It’s killing snails all the time. When it rains, it’s a desperate thing”, Aécio says .
In Yoruba land , snails represents a lot , they are not considered dangerous . The Yorubas have two distinct species of edible snail. The diminutive freshwater snail is called Isawuru. The larger land snail is called Igbin, which is the more commonly available edible snail .
“Snail farming is a big business in Nígeria, it is important to know that the industry demands supports from the federal government of Nígeria, the snails serves Africans nutritionally and medicinal . It is not dangerous “ Alhaji Adewale, a Yoruba farmer said
