China kills 10 000 civet cats in "patriotic" campaign against SARS

By Richard Hurley London

A cull of thousands of civet cats, badgers, racoons, dogs, and cockroaches has been started in response to China's first new case of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in six months.

The infected man, from the city of Guangzhou, in the southern province of Guangdong, has made a full recovery. He had caught a similar strain of SARS to one found in civet cats but said that he had never eaten nor even seen the animals. In Guangdong, civets--weasel-like members of the mongoose family--are an expensive delicacy.

"We will kill all the civet cats in Guangdong markets, which number about 10 000," said Feng Liuxiang, an official at Guangdong's health bureau.

The World Health Organization does not consider this single case to be a public health emergency and has criticised the cull. Although scientists think the coronavirus responsible for SARS may transgress species, the link to civets is not proved. Also, a cull could be counterproductive, exposing infected blood and destroying useful evidence.

XINHUA, LIU DAWEI/AP

Round up the usual suspects: China goes to war against the civet cat

Thousands of civets have been drowned in disinfectant, electrocuted, and cremated in deep pits. The city's authorities have now switched focus to rats and have encouraged people to lay rat poison.

"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," Feng Liuxiang said.

The pneumonia-like disease originated in Guangdong in the winter of 2002-3 and infected about 8000 people worldwide. About 800 died--348 in mainland China. The international community criticised the Chinese government for initially trying to cover up the problem and for the slow response to the epidemic.

The "patriotic" campaign parallels the policy of the 1950s when Chairman Mao Zedong ordered the destruction of China's four biggest evils--rats, flies, mosquitoes, and sparrows. Mao's campaign was such a successful show of his control that the resulting imbalance in food chains led to famine which killed 40 million people. Mao's legacy may account for China's fast and aggressive response.

As in the 1950s, mobilisation of Chinese people against common evils may be an over-simplified reaction to a complex problem, but it is effective propaganda for the ruling communist party, whose grip on people's daily lives has weakened.

As a result of SARS, the communist party is reaffirming social controls at a local level. Neighbourhood committees have new vigour. "SARS has meant that there has been plenty of opportunity to go round checking up on people's health," said Bob Benewick, professor of internatinal relations and politics at Sussex University.