A group of patients being treated for a severe parasitic infection plan to launch a class action against the source of their illnesses: a Beijing restaurant serving a popular dish of raw freshwater snails.
The patients say they were infected with the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis and later diagnosed with eosinophilic meningitis, a condition affecting brain tissue, after eating Amazonian snails at the Shu Guo Yan Yi Restaurant in Beijing.
The Beijing News quoted one of the plaintiffs, Pan Lei, as saying the restaurant should be held responsible for all inpatient and outpatient treatment expenses, and compensate victims for sick leave and mental distress.
Another plaintiff, Yu Lei, said the group was recruiting more patients to join the class action - but only if they were prepared to stick together, the Beijing News reported.
Zhang Qihuai, a lawyer from the Beijing Lanpeng Law Firm, said class actions were a relatively new aspect of the mainland's legal system, but would help plaintiffs gain more leverage against defendants.
However, Mr Zhang said the patients might have problems securing compensation for post-hospital losses and permanent disease after-effects unless they could clearly link them to food from the restaurant.
