HERMANUS – A local woman took to Facebook on Friday to warn people against the dangerous consequences of the egg challenge, after her husband was admitted to hospital after participating in the dare.
In recent weeks, various people posted videos on social media of themselves downing raw eggs, sugar and a shot of alcohol. The Hermanus man, reportedly admitted to Mediclinic Hermanus, did the same. A video posted on his Facebook page shows him swallowing two eggs, explaining that one is for his wife who does not eat eggs at all even when it’s cooked. He downed the raw eggs in a shooter glass, followed by a shot of sugar, a tot of brandy and of gin. He then goes on to challenge a friend to complete the challenge too.
Four days after posting the clip, the Hermanus resident’s wife took to social media to inform people that her husband had been admitted to hospital due to a bacterial infection he contracted after swallowing the eggs.
Mediclinic has warned the public against the dangers of ingesting raw eggs. “The ingestion of raw and undercooked food does come with the risk of contracting certain infections,” a spokesperson for the clinic said. “In the case of eating raw eggs there is a risk of contracting a salmonella infection (also called salmonellosis,) which can lead to diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever and vomiting, among other symptoms, which can persist for a few days.