- "...the Sars patient told the Xinhua news agency
he had never even seen a civet, let alone eaten one."
-
- BEIJING -- China's latest
Sars patient says he has never eaten a civet cat as the authorities in
the southern province of Guangdong continue to slaughter thousands of the
animals as an anti-Sars measure.
-
- The first Sars patient since the epidemic was announced
under control in July, he described himself as an environmentalist who
is against the slaughter of living creatures.
-
- But the authorities in Guangdong now say that they will
launch a rat extermination campaign after they have finished killing the
civets.
-
- In his first interview, the Sars patient told the Xinhua
news agency he had never even seen a civet, let alone eaten one.
-
- Tests had shown his virus was similar to one found in
civets, prompting the government's decision to slaughter about 10,000 of
the animals.
-
- Cat, mouse or rat?
-
- It is still not known how the man, Mr Luo, caught the
disease, though there has been speculation that rats might have played
a role.
-
- In the interview, Mr Luo tells how he caught a baby mouse
in the bath tub using a pair of chopsticks.
-
- He describes himself as an environmentalist who is against
the slaughter of living creatures, so he said he threw the animal out of
the window.
-
- International experts have said there is no conclusive
published evidence to show that civets, mice or rats have the Sars virus.
-
- Nonetheless, this has not stopped the health authorities
in the southern city of Guangzhou announcing a rat extermination campaign.
-
- That is to start on Saturday after the civet cull is
finished.
-
- One newspaper said the whole city would unite to kill
rats, not leaving out a single household.
-
- © BBC MMIV
-
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3374643.stm
|
