Now that China has finally admitted the SARS epidemic
started in the southern province of Guangdong and is letting
investigators into the country, new discoveries are being
made about the virus. One of these is that the first people
who came down with the disease ate or handled wild game,
such as chickens, ducks and owls. "We will explore further if
the disease was passed to human beings from wild animals.
You know, Guangdong people like eating exotic animals and I
don't find it a healthy practice," says Bi Shengli, of the
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The
earliest cases of SARS have been traced to either chefs or
bird sellers.
"Coronaviruses can cause respiratory diseases in birds, so we
might think they could do the same in people," says virologist
Yvonne Cossart. Every year, several new forms of the flu
virus originate in the Hong Kong bird markets. Often, large
numbers of birds are slaughtered to prevent the virus from
mutating and infecting humans.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says it's too
early to know if we've caught SARS in time to prevent a
global epidemic. "The race is on," says Julie Gerberding. "The
stakes are high. And the outcome cannot be predicted."
In order to keep up with the SARS story, listen to
Dreamland every week, where science reporter
Linda Howe tells us the latest, without pulling any punches.
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