In this file photograph taken on January 12, 2020, a woman walks in front of the closed Huanan Seafood Market, where health authorities say a man who died from a respiratory illness had purchased goods from, in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province. — AFP pic
Past deadly epidemics have been blamed on wild animals — Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome was linked to Chinese consumption of civet meat — setting Chinese authorities up for potential embarrassment if lax supervision of wildlife trafficking is found at fault in the latest outbreak. Gao Fu, director of the Chinese centre for disease control and prevention, said in Beijing yesterday that authorities believe the virus likely came from “wild animals at the seafood market” though the exact source remains undetermined.
The paper also quoted other merchants as saying trade in wildlife took place up until the market was shuttered for disinfection shortly after the outbreak. Walzer said 70 per cent of all new infectious diseases come from wildlife, with habitat encroachment increasing the chances of pathogens spreading.
Bats are thought to have spawned SARS, which in 2002-03 killed hundreds of people in Asia, mostly China.
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