Let’s scare people: Guangzhou markets and SARS

You know it’s a slow news day when the media, let alone an organization like Reuters throws out a report like such. Let’s create a scare! Yes, the world isn’t screwed up enough that we need to make everyone freaked out!

Basically the report, if you can call it that, talks about a Chinese market in Guangzhou where you can buy live wild animals and how wild animals transmit such diseases such as SARS. Then it goes into the 2002 outbreak of SARS in China where it claimed eight hundred lives.

While what this report says is somewhat true and that you could catch a disease from a wild animal and bad market conditions, but this type of market has also been around a lot longer than say… the last decade. In fact, I remember going to a similar type of market back when I was really little with my grandparents in Taiwan. And you’re saying that the chickens couldn’t have been carrying bird flu? What about mad cow? Heck, I’m sure I’d have a better chance of catching something from the local buffet area than from the QingPing market.

[sigh] Slow news day? Sounds like it.

Photo Credit: (dmealiffe)

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About Ben

Ben Hwang is involved in a number of online publications and also writes at his personal blog, LUX.ET.UMBRA. When he's not in the middle of starting companies and dreaming up new ventures, he is heavily involved in local community efforts. Currently resides in North Carolina.
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