Experts and medical staff have urged residents across southern China's Guangdong Province to keep away from giant African snails that have appeared after recent rainfall.

The snails carry bacteria and viruses that could spread tuberculosis and even deadly meningitis to people who have frequent contact with them, said Xie Sheng, a senior doctor with the Huizhou Central Hospital in eastern Guangdong.

Guo Qiang, a staff member at the Shenzhen Conservation Office of Wild Animals and Plants, said the big snails are one of the first groups of invasive species in southern China.

"The snail can grow as long as 20 centimeters and breeds rapidly," Guo said.

He added that the snails, which usually appear on lawns, trees, flowers, vegetable fields, walls and floors, can also damage plants and other crops.

Zhang Cuilan, a Guangzhou housewife, said she had seen a growing number of big snails in her neighborhood in recent days.

"And some kids were also seen playing with the snails on their lawns," she said.

According to a local media report, a girl was recently diagnosed with a high fever after coming into contact with big snails in Shenzhen. Whether the girl's fever was caused by the snails is still being investigated, a local medical expert said.

(Cover image via VCG)

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