Dogs killed to prevent SARS spread

[Aroura]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2989479.stm


There is no evidence that domestic pets can spread Sars to humans

Asia's Sars epidemic has been claiming non-human victims, as the Chinese authorities target domestic pets suspected of spreading the disease.

In Beijing, dogs and cats belonging to Sars patients are being rounded up and killed, officials said on Wednesday.

However other animals may be benefiting from the war on Sars, as China cracks down on the trade in endangered species.

Although veterinary experts have said there is no evidence Sars can be transmitted to humans from household animals, the authorities are taking no chances.

"Pets can spread diseases. People can take measures to prevent diseases being spread, but not pets," a Beijing police official told the French news agency AFP.

"If a family has Sars and they have pets, we will catch and kill the pets regardless of whether they show Sars symptoms."

Chinese citizens are required by law to pay a special tax if they want to own a pet, but in the past this law has been frequently ignored.

Now, however, the police have started to actively enforce it.

"If we find any stray dogs or cats, or if anyone make reports to the police about people illegally raising pets, we will send people out to catch the animals and deal with them," the official said.

Sometimes the pet owners themselves are eager to get rid of their animals.

A man in Beijing's Fengtai district threw his Pekinese dog from the sixth floor of his apartment block because he suspected it might have Sars, according to the Beijing Star Daily

[Carolk9s]

What a shame. Esp. the poor Peke who was tossed out the window, disgusting.
I am going to sit on the fence a bit and not judge those killing the animals out of fear that they MAY help spread SARS. While I agree it sounds far too extreme a measure, if there is any chance of the animals being able to 'transport' the live virus, all care must be taken. It does SOUND like a kneejerk overreaction...but this virus has people terrified. If I were there and had a dog, I'd not let it leave the house for a very long time.

[Rosebud]

:-?

Well, we all know how the chinese government is alleged to be masterminds of covering up things and we also know that there are people in those country's that keep dogs as pets till they are just right to sell for consumption.


I posted a previous thread about this and know I am just wondering if maybe there is a connection to dog consumption and Sars.


:angel:

[Rowie-the-Pooh]

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

I can image if they took Rowie from me and killed her! :o :evil: Just because I had an illness! :evil:

[courtnek]

Rosebud, you may have something there....

humans acquired AIDS from Monkeys. So there are diseases that animals can give us, and if it is a viral infection, I would guess it is possible to get it by
consuming the animal. I remember reading a story once about the Black Plague in Europe. Local tribes ate these large, rodent type animals (cant remember what they are called) and used to inspect the lymph gland
under the arm on the animal before they would eat it. If the gland was swollen the animal was burned to a crisp, When asked why, they described the horrible sickness that people got if they ate one of the
infected animals. Hundreds of years later it was discovered that the
sickness they were describing was the Black Plague. So I would guess it is possible for an illness to spread by eating the infected animal. Right now they are saying that SARS is spread airborne, but there is also a version of the plague that spreads airborne; a mutation from the original virus....

[Aroura]

Yeah well if its airborne then why kill innocent dogs?
I don't know, just sounds to me like the chinese government trying to look as though they are doing something to stop the spread of this deadly virus, at the cost of the dogs life even though they know the dogs don't have anything to do with it :evil:

[Rosebud]

Yeah well if its airborne then why kill innocent dogs?
I don't know, just sounds to me like the chinese government trying to look as though they are doing something to stop the spread of this deadly virus, at the cost of the dogs life even though they know the dogs don't have anything to do with it

I would suspect that if the chinese government has realized something that they are not sharing that the dogs being destroyed are actually real carriers of the disease.

So there are diseases that animals can give us, and if it is a viral infection, I would guess it is possible to get it by
consuming the animal......Right now they are saying that SARS is spread airborne....

check out this link on fifth disease. Humans get it from dogs infected with parvo and can give it to other humans.

http://content.health.msn.com/content/healthwise/103/25565.htm?lastselectedguid={B7F18B8A-5BA8-43FC-B950-5FA349C6A692}

:angel: