'(6 May 2003) Jun Tai Animal Market, Guang Zhou, Guangdong Province 1. Wide indoor market with cleaners spraying disinfectant 2. Animals pressing together in cage 3. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Government health inspector \"Now we sterilise every day, before it was twice a week. And we also try to inspect every animal that comes into Guang Zhou (capital city of province).\" 4. Pan from dead cat lying on top of cage to cleaner spraying 5. Man cleaning dead pig 6. Water and debris running from pig to drains 7. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Mr Kong, Market seller (who did not want to give his first name): \"I don\'t believe it. There are a lot of animals sold at this market, and we have been in the business for a long time, and no one here has got infected. I don\'t think it\'s likely that this virus came across from animals.\" 8. Wide shot of government health inspector sterilizing market stalls of chickens and other birds 9. Mid shot of government health inspector sterilizing market stalls of chickens and other birds STORYLINE: Government health inspectors stepped up sterisation efforts at the Chinese animal market suspected to have played an important part in the development of the SARS virus. Meanwhile, one stall owner named Mr Kong said he was unconvinced that improvements in hygiene were necessary, and said he didn\'t believe SARS had crossed from animals into humans. Southern China\'s Guangdong province is well-known for its animal markets, where anything from bats to rats to cats and chickens can be bought to grace the tables in a tradition that believes eating exotic wildlife may have health benefits. Conditions at the Jun Tai Animal Market in Guang Zhou continue to be extremely unhygienic, in spite of the connection health experts have made between animals and humans in the early development of the SARS virus. The first known cases of SARS occurred in Guangdong as early as November last year, according to Chinese officials, but they can\'t confirm the illness originated there. However, international health experts suspect that humans and animals living in close, poorly ventilated conditions, like the Jun Tai animal markets, may have facilitated the development of the new virus. Market sellers live, wash, and eat together with their stock, which may include wild animals as well as animals reared for consumption. The Chinese government outlawed the sale of wild animals at the end of April, according to local press reports in Guangdong this week. In the wake of the SARS outbreak, further efforts are being made by the local Guangdong authorities to contain the potential for the spread of disease at these animal markets. The Guangzhong city government has taken blood samples from animal market traders in the past week, and increased the number of sterilisation visits to the animal markets. The Jun Tai market remains a dirty, smelly place. The only difference now is that fears of SARS are keeping buyers away. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/479c066c17797cca1d1be13d1df82f1e'
Tags: Health , China , AP Archive , government and politics , East Asia , Greater China , living things , 373619 , 479c066c17797cca1d1be13d1df82f1e , China Market 2
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