China culls wild animals to prevent new SARS threat.

Chinese health officials ordered the slaughter of 10000 civet cats and other mammals on Jan 5 after the country's first confirmed case of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) since last July.

A 32-year-old freelance television reporter in the southern province of Guangdong tested positive for a new strain of the virus, prompting drastic measures by governments throughout the region to prevent the disease from spreading.

The man has been quarantined in Guangzhou since mid-December, when he developed symptoms of the disease. He is said to be recovering and no-one he has been in contact with has shown signs of infection.

But the case has alarmed officials because the source of infection remains a mystery. The only previous two confirmed SARS cases in recent weeks—in Singapore and Taiwan—were scientists who contracted the disease during laboratory research.

The origins of the SARS virus, which was first detected in Guangdong at the end of 2002, remain unclear but it is thought that human beings could have contracted the disease by eating or handling civets or other exotic animals from wildlife markets.

The new patient told doctors he had not eaten wild animals in the month before he became ill, although he had touched a rat. But Guangdong health officials said wildlife markets will be shut down and local people will be urged to destroy vermin ahead of the Chinese New Year on Jan 22, when millions of Chinese people travel back to their home towns and overseas.

“We will start a patriotic health campaign to kill rats and cockroaches in order to give every place a thorough cleaning for the Lunar New Year”, Guangdong health bureau official Feng Liuxiang told reporters.

More than 10000 animals due to be sold in the markets will be killed, including civets, raccoon dogs, Chinese ferret badgers, hog badgers, and Eurasian badgers. Last year, tests on some of these animals revealed SARS-like viruses.

Compared with the first outbreak, when China was attacked for its slow response and bungled attempt to cover up the disease, the authorities have moved swiftly.

WHO officials in Beijing warned this week that the extermination campaign should be undertaken with caution. Jeffrey Gilbert, a WHO animal expert, said the animals must be carefully examined and disposed of so that evidence of the disease's origin is not destroyed.