Coronavirus: WHO backs away from ban on live animal markets, prompting warnings over emergence of new diseases
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Peter Ben Embarek, a WHO food safety and animal diseases scientist, said live animal markets were critical to providing food and livelihoods for millions of people and that authorities should focus on improving them rather than outlawing them – even though they can spark epidemics in humans. “Food safety in these environments is rather difficult and therefore it’s not surprising that sometimes we also have these events happening within markets,” Dr Embarek said. “The wildlife trade caused the Covid-19 pandemic, and WHO has an obligation to advise countries to lower the risk of another pandemic by outlawing live wild animal markets.” Mark Jones, a vet from the Born Free Foundation, said: “No one knows where the next pandemic might originate from but wildlife markets are a big risk. “It will be nigh-on impossible to introduce effective sanitary measures across wildlife markets to eliminate the risk.” Despite growing international calls for tighter restrictions on such markets and the use of wildlife in traditional medicine, an investigation last month by The Independent found that in parts of China and southeast Asia, the trade continues, with many stall-holders opening up again after a brief lull.