To combat the spread of the coronavirus, Wuhan in China has banned the hunting and selling of wild animals at least for the next five years. Wet markets in Wuhan are known for selling exotic meats of lions, bats, pangolins, tigers, peacocks, dogs, crocodiles, foxes and many more species. One of these animal markets in Wuhan was believed to be the epicentre of the virus. According to some sources, the infection had started spreading from bats to other animals which was then transmitted to humans.
What’s Happening?
Wuhan’s authorities are now offering cash incentives to the farmers to stop the breeding of exotic livestock. Prohibitions will apply to the breeding of aquatic animals as well, like frogs. The entire city is declared as a ‘wildlife sanctuary’ now. The World Health Organisation (WHO) had notified that many of the first victims of the virus were the stall owners, employees and daily shoppers of the markets. For respiratory diseases like COVID-19, food handlers can get the infection when they are exposed to the animals’ bodily fluids.
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What Else?
Bat soup is one of the popular delicacies in China. Scientists have claimed that fruit bats can carry coronavirus. Snakes, that were also sold in Wuhan’s fish market is also considered as one of the delicious food items in the Chinese eating culture. Snakes feed on bats, therefore chances are there that they can transmit the virus too. Meanwhile, in Hunan, authorities are encouraging farmers to breed domestic livestock or grow medicinal herbs or tea.
Before coronavirus, infections spreading from wild animals have caused numerous diseases in humans like Sars, Ebola and HIV. The fatal COVID-19 has claimed the lives of about 333K people worldwide. A few days before, Wuhan was declared coronavirus free. But now about 33 new cases have sprung up again, out of which 31 are asymptomatic.
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One small virus has put the survival of millions of people in threat. Let us follow the precautionary measures and do the best we can to put this fatal plague at bay at the soonest.