To think that China needs to act

[Dongdingdong]

From what I understand, the coronavirus originated in a wet market in Wuhan that sold animals both dead and alive. According to the Telegraph, these markets "pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to humans because hygiene standards are difficult to maintain if live animals are being kept and butchered on site. Typically, they are also densely packed."

Also: "The animal source of the latest outbreak has not yet been identified, but the original host is thought to be bats. Bats were not sold at the Wuhan market but may have infected live chickens or other animals sold there. Bats are host to a wide range of zoonotic viruses including Ebola, HIV and rabies."

When this latest pandemic dies down, the Chinese government needs to ban these wet markets entirely. Will the rest of the world be putting pressure on them to do so or will we simply continue as before until the next pandemic breaks out?

So we don’t need “credentials” to know that?

I was on the understanding that it started early November, so I think they took quite a while to react and what about the fact they tried to silence the doctors who wanted people to know? It strikes me that they only let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, because their hand was forced. I'm sure if it wasn't they'd still be trying to cover it up. Oh and don't forget it was the USA that caused it. Not the lovely wet markets that are akin to Waitrose fish counter.

What is your problem with me exactly?
You pick at what I say (on various threads) and then just carry on moaning about how awful the situation is and how China should have done something before. We all know that. What we do now is what matters. Whining and moaning achieves nothing, helps no one. Does it make you feel better?

We all need to stop eating animals all together. There is a huge and undeniable link between eating animals and ciliate change, habitat destruction, species extinction, ocean dead zones, disease and antibiotic resistance.

On don't pick on you, I suppose we are interested in the same topic and have different views. So I share my view, you share yours, we disagree.

Have I ever commented on something you have posted outside the Coronavirus topic? Now that would be me picking on you. But I didn't do it.

I also apologised above.

Oh and no, it doesn't make me feel better but thanks for asking.

I'm losing work, I'm worried sick about elderly relatives I can't even visit because the borders are shut.

So, no.

Luckily I have nothing at all to worry about...

My comment wasn't aimed at you Shanghai (not sure you though it was but thought I'd clear it up anyway) I've found your information very helpful and you do speak a lot of sense. Feelings are high at the moment so I'm not surprised you are getting a bit of stick, I'm obviously not condoning it at all.

Thank you, @PlanDeRaccordement and @ShanghaiDiva, for your balanced and interesting posts

I've not read the entire thread but yes things have to change

Besides all that they have caused worldwide.
It is beyond cruel and barbaric.

Plan has moved from deny to attack. When are they going to reverse victim and offender like the Chinese government tried to do? Classic DARVO. Are you getting wumao for these posts? Although I’m sure the compensation is higher these days.

A few points:

• Chinese people are the biggest victims of their government’s silence and inaction over the coronavirus.

• Wet markets are not necessarily bad. As long as they have strict protocols for handling meat.

• A market name does not prove anything. I lived next to a wet market that was called a vegetable market. It did, in fairness, sell mostly vegetables but livestock meat stalls were there too.

• No one has disputed that the Wuhan market sold live wild animals. Yes that market sold mostly seafood but there were wild animal venders.

• Exotic meat consumption is popular among wealthy urbanites and remote villagers. Obviously the former are more problematic due to geography. However, the majority of Chinese DO NOT EAT wild meat. It’s falling out of favour among younger people. Surveys have backed this up. This means the cultural angle doesn’t hold much water. Once people are taught the facts then it will fall out of favour completely imo

• Chinese authorities have known about the problem of wild animal consumption since SARS in 2004. They did temporarily ban civet cat consumption but not for long.

In short, the Chinese government is to blame. You should be angry at them. The whole world should be angry at them.

Having lived in China for 3 years. This practise of keeping wild animals for food is rife. Many restaurants and eating facilities do this. When I lived in Guangdong, I was offered Phoenix soup: chicken, snake and cat. They will eat anything with a pulse. The Dog Meat festival is a prime example. Pressure needs to be put on China to start having a rigorous process, but for that to take place you need to change the mentality of the people and that isn't something that will change easily. Look at the rhino horns needed. They also have a higher amount of other animal markets that really need to be looked at. It's a huge huge job and intrinsic in their makeup. It's so upsetting because it will keep going on and one. This isn't the end of it for sure. They need enforced laws and re-education. It's is going to keep happening otherwise!!

Chinese should have their international travel limited completely until there is evidence they have changed their wags. Should not be allowed to travel at all!

Not many regions have started global pandemics. No one can defend them. China has caused a worldwide economic collapse and huge loss of life. I cannot say anything good.

We have been due a pandemic for decades. They have been warning us for decades.

@Smilethoyourheartisbreaking what do you mean, “for decades”? We had one 11 years ago - does swine flu ring any bells? And of course it’s important to identify the cause and origin of this disease - to ensure it doesn’t happen again for starters.

Thank you @ShanghaiDiva and @birdshighinthesky for your posts - it’s interesting to hear from people who actually live in China.

Smilethoyourheartisbreaking BSE didn't cause a pandemic though, did it?

until they stop wet markets by enforcing the ban

At no stage did I say wet markets should be banned, please don’t mis quote me. I stated there should be sanctions and a travel ban until the food chain and live stock is managed to a level as to protect both humans and animals.

Accidents happen, nothing is risk free, but the rest of the developed world has strict rules and regulations controlling what is permitted in the food chain, and how we manage live stock. China should be no different in those regulations and how they enforce them.

Humans and animals have to be protected as far as is reasonable. China is a huge world player, and their population is mobile. Now is the time for them to act. The consequences as we have seen are devastating when something goes wrong.

I am unsure why you’re taking such issue with this, or pretending that there is no issue in the food chain or how animals are managed and this was just one rogue criminal, clearly it was not. And these animals were being sold because there is a market for them.

This can’t happen again, the world is in chaos, it’s time for authorities to act, and pretending there is no issue helps no one.

Smile don't patronise me, I know a fair amount about pandemics. Obviously more than you, seeing as I already know that CJD isn't caused by a virus. It's caused by proteins known as prions and only be caused by eating infected meat.
Not becoming a pandemic wasn't through 'luck', it was because the affected animals were removed from the food chain, regulations were introduced and people were inforned about how to protect themselves (through the simple step of not eating beef produced in Britain).
That's a far different matter than dealing with a condition caused by an airborne virus.

Read a bit about pandemics.

Says the poster who previously said we’ve been due one “for decades” - conveniently forgetting swine flu Hardly a font of all knowledge yourself are you?

China should be no different in those regulations and how they enforce them.

Hear hear.

I do understand the issues China faces.

On one hand they have become a major global player with a highly mobile population.

On the other hand they have pockets of their population who manage their food chain and live stock in such a way as to cause risk to human health.

If for example this virus did indeed come from eating a pengolin, which is used for traditional Chinese medicine, they have already made that trade illegal, but have a huge black market going for it. There are other species also consumed, either for its meat or medicinal properties that effectively really should not be.

They need to under take a major crack down on something that is effectively either traditional or cultural in areas.

I suspect they will under take that crack down., however potentially not make it fully visible to the rest of the world.

Completely agree with you but it will be difficult as it's such a cultural part of their lives.

I don't know about this--it appears to be quite a regional thing and the majority of Chinese do not consume exotic wild animals.

With any luck the CCP will be throwing the book at the people who run these things from now on.

It's not like nothing was happening, there were festivities for the New Year, which were allowed to go ahead and which spread it even further.

Such hypocrisy here. That's exactly what we did by letting a massive chunk of the British middle classes do their nornal ski trips to Italy at half term when it was completely clear what would happen, as well as all the post HT ski jollies up until the week before last. We had a golden opportunity to nip this in the bud by preventing travel over half term and we did fuck all.