BEIJING - Faced with the return of SARS, China yesterday ordered wild animals slaughtered by the thousands in the disease's suspected region of origin, a striking response that elicited calls for caution from international doctors concerned about safety and destroying medical evidence.
The decision to kill up to 10,000 civet cats and related specialty-food creatures in the wildlife markets of the southern province of Guangdong - animals suspected of being SARS carriers - came as the first case of SARS in China this season was confirmed after more than two weeks of intricate tests.
Adding to Asia's SARS unease, a husband and wife in the Philippines who fell ill after returning from Hong Kong were placed in isolation to await test results. And Hong Kong stepped up health surveillance at border checkpoints with mainland China.
The World Health Organization, upgrading the case of an ailing 32-year-old Guangdong television producer from suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome to a definite diagnosis, urged calm. It said China, which became a travel pariah during the first outbreak last year, was safe.
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The Associated Press
