Page 4 - My FlipBook
P. 4
CHAPTER ONE
The Pandemic
Spreads Across
the Globe
Wet markets are common throughout Asia. They are
places that feature dozens of stalls, where merchants
sell meat, fi sh, and poultry, often slaughtering the ani-
mals right in their stalls. Journalist Jason Beaubien de-
scribes a wet market he visited in Hong Kong:
It’s quite obvious why the term “wet” is used.
Live fi sh in open tubs splash water all over the
fl oor. The countertops of the stalls are red with
blood as fi sh are gutted and fi lleted right in front
of the customers’ eyes. Live turtles and crusta-
ceans climb over each other in boxes. Melting
ice adds to the slush on the fl oor. There’s lots
of water, blood, fi sh scales and chicken guts.
Things are wet. 5
Scientists have warned about the public health haz-
ards of wet markets. Not only do merchants typically
practice little hygiene in their stalls, but the animals—
some wild, some domesticated—are often under stress
while they are held in cages in these chaotic markets.
These high stress levels can lower the animals’ im-
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