The Ministry of Health has clarified that there is no harm in consuming grasshoppers that are currently being harvested from districts that were placed under quarantine last year due to the Ebola virus outbreak.
In an interview, Dr. Allan Niyonzima, the Commissioner for Integrated Epidemiology Surveillance and Public Health Emergencies at the Ministry of Health, stated that unless individuals come into direct contact with droppings from fruit bats or the improperly handled body of an infected person, there is no risk associated with eating grasshoppers.
Currently grasshoppers are being harvested from the districts of Bundibudgyo, Kassanda, Mubende, Kyegegwa, and Kabarole, which were affected by the Ebola virus outbreak nearly a year ago.
Dr. Niyonzima’s comments follow Wednesday’s sudden influx of edible grasshoppers into Kampala City from the districts of Kabarole, Mubende, Kassanda, and Kyegegwa.
