The Coronavirus pandemic may be a result of contamination from a pangolin or bat. Scientists are still not sure which of these can transmit the viral RNA to a human. But, one thing is for certain that the place of the origin of Coronavirus remains the infamous Wet Market in Wuhan, China.
Dr. David Nabarro, an epidemiologist, says ” almost 75% of all diseases come from animals. Most of it lies in consuming wildlife from wet markets around the world. ” The World Health Organization keeps requesting all countries to close the “dangerous” wet markets. But China seems to be oblivious to this fact.
The next deadly pandemic may come from a wet market in China. Or it may come from an American factory farm full of tortured, genetically modified, hormone fed pigs, chickens, or turkeys living in their own filth with barely any space to move. Both practices must end immediately.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) April 12, 2020
Wet Markets: The Coronavirus story
The Communist country has once again shown its adamance even in times of a raging pandemic. Currently, lockdown is lifted in China. This means people are back to their daily business. In the wet and dark alleys of Wuhan, lies the soul to this deadly pandemic- The Wet Market. The Wet Market sells everything, from dogs to cats to squids to bats. These delicacies may seem harmless, but under this whitewash lies a dark history.
The wet market is notorious for selling dead and rotten wildlife meat. They often use many chemicals to hide this fact. This shady business scheme runs around with the support of the Chinese government. Meat bought from here have often caused many other diseases. But after the Coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan finally closed it. People thought that it is finally closed for good.
EXPOSED: Indonesia’s wildlife wet markets where bats and snakes are STILL on sale despite #coronavirus risk. https://t.co/9iNiRc8Ar0 Join @rickygervais @P_Wicks01 @michaelastracha @RealPOGDogs & sign to ban wildlife trade https://t.co/TwL9auX2fM 🦇🐍 ❌ pic.twitter.com/PM3NlPrJyO
— Humane Society International (@HSIGlobal) April 12, 2020
But that was not the case. Because as soon as the lockdown was lifted the wet market started reopening. Truth be told, it is the source of income for many families. When started back in the 1980s it was the most sought out food source despite many stores and malls.
This means that the market generated enough revenue to keep people employed. This was the golden point for China. People started getting in the wildlife business like cats and dogs.
The Chinese government has taken many steps to cleanse these markets. But, who are we kidding? We know how the process works. Anyway, the World Health Organization has passed an order regarding closing all wet markets immediately. And I hope the Chinese government takes the right decision. It is never too late until it is.
Suryapratim Ray is an engineer, author, robotics hobbyist, and an active Quoran. Being a technical blogger, he covers the good, bad, and ugly of science on a regular basis at Sciencenews18. In addition to his passion for writing, he’s equally keen on learning classical music.