China bans wild animal trade until viral outbreak eases

China on Sunday ordered a temporary ban on tre in wild animals as country struggles to contain a dely virus believed to have been spawned in a market that sold wild animals as food. Raising, transporting or selling all wild animal species is forbidden "from date of anuncement until national epidemic situation is over", said a government directive.

ban was issued by Ministry of Agriculture, State ministration for Market Regulation, and National Forestry and Grassland ministration. lethal virus, which has caused 56 confirmed deaths and nearly 2,000 total infections in China, and spre to about a dozen countries, is believed to have originated in a market in central city of Wuhan, where a range of wildlife was reportedly sold.

Conservationists have long accused China of tolerating a showy tre in exotic animals for food or as ingredients in tritional medicines, including highly endangered species such as pangolin or tiger. Health experts say tre poses a significant and growing public health risk as potentially dangerous animal-borne pathogens that people would rmal t be exposed to make jump to humans.

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SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus that killed hundreds of people in China and Hong Kong in 2002-03 also has been traced to wild animals, with scientists saying it likely originated in bats, later reaching humans via civets. Civets, a cat-like creature, were among dozens of species listed on an exhaustive price list for one of animal-tring businesses at Wuhan market that emerged online last week. Or items included various rats, snakes, giant salamanders and even live wolf pups.

Sunday's anuncement said all businesses, markets, food and bever outlets and e-commerce platforms are "strictly prohibited from tring in wild animals in any form". It ded that "consumers must fully understand health risks of eating wild animals, avoid wild game, and eat healthy".

so-called bushmeat tre, along with broer human encroachment on wild habitats, is bringing humans into ever-closer contact with animal viruses that can spre rapidly in today's connected world, scientists say. A study by Global Virome Project, a worldwide effort to increase preparedness for pandemics, estimated that re are nearly 1.7 million undiscovered viruses in animal kingdom, nearly half of which could be harmful to humans.

Peter Daszak, a virology expert with project, told AFP its research also indicated that we can expect around five new animal-borne pathogens to infect humanity each year. China has launched previous crackdowns on wildlife tre, including after SARS, but conservationists say tre typically resumes over time.

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