Chinese people do love to eat wild animals. Hunters take these wild mammals and take them to local markets where they live until there is one buyer. These wild animals transmit new viruses to humans who go to these markets and to the meat that is being sold. Read this in Spanish Coronavirus
One of these animals is the pangolin, a mammal that is considered a delicacy. Likewise, traditional Chinese medicine uses wild animals (pangolin for instance) to cure diseases. Changing these beliefs is really difficult as these are ancient traditions. Pangolin can be the origin of this new coronavirus. Another candidate is the bat.
The origin of coronavirus
Chinese authorities do not really allow people to eat these wild animals but there is a demand for them so illegal hunting continues. Because of this coronavirus crisis, new strict measures have been imposed in China and these local markets where wild animals live and are hidden for sale are forbidden.
However, Chinese authorities are afraid of banning traditional medicine that uses wild animals to cure diseases as this is part of Chinese culture. In the past, theses viruses did not travel so far but now globalization has made China to be a developed country and new viruses travel easily.
At the end of November, a Chinese woman who ate meat from this local market in Wuhan had coronavirus. This was the first sick person. Time was wasted and now this new virus has traveled the whole world. Globalization makes us to be exposed to new diseases.
Sars came from China too and had a local meat market as the origin as well. Ebola was produced because some poor people in Africa ate monkeys. Wild forests are destroyed in rural areas and mammals who never had contact with humans transmit us new viruses. Likewise, poor people who eat bad will transmit new diseases. What is more, so many international flights and overpopulation in huge cities allow viruses to be transmitted in a way never seen before.
Will we have a new pandemic crisis once coronavirus is controlled???
Pangolin
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