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China's Chernobyl: SARS Can Spread on Imported Goods
Newsmax | 5/5/03 | Charles Smith

Posted on 05/05/2003 2:27:40 PM PDT by jerseygirl

China's Chernobyl: SARS Can Spread on Imported Goods Charles R. Smith Monday, May 5, 2003 Medical researchers have discovered that the SARS virus can survive on common surfaces at room temperature for days. The discovery is a shock to importers of Chinese-made goods because it is clearly possible to contract the disease from products contaminated by infected workers. The shocking find by medical scientists working on the SARS virus also showed that common detergents failed to kill the disease, suggesting that efforts to sterilize contaminated areas and goods may be futile. Japanese researchers have also discovered that the SARS virus can survive long periods of intense cold.

"It's the first time we have hard data on the survival of the virus. Before, we were just speculating," stated the World Health Organization's top researcher Klaus Stohr.

The discovery by teams of scientists working in Germany, Japan, Hong Kong and China showed that human contact with infected surfaces can spread the disease. The possibility that SARS may spread via contaminated products exported by China has already led to a quiet shutdown of electronic and consumer product exports to Japan.

Manmade Virus?

The information comes on the heels of silence by American CDC officials to inquiries about the origin of the SARS virus. Some scientists contend that the disease is a naturally occurring variation of the corona virus. Other researchers are not convinced and have raised questions as to whether the virus was artificially created in China.

Two Russian researchers who recently returned from China have stated that they feel the virus was artificially created and released accidentally. The first known case of SARS to appear in China was in a city with a major Chinese biological laboratory that operates inside a state-run university.

Chinese health officials have known about SARS outbreaks since November 2002 but did not release information about the highly contagious disease to the World Health Organization (WHO) as required by several international treaties.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control reports directly to Beijing through the central Communist Party and does not give information to outside organizations unless ordered to do so. The central party did not release information on SARS to WHO until March 2003.

The slow reaction by the top communist leadership has brought accusations that SARS is China's Chernobyl. The implication is that the communist leadership was afraid to release information critical to controlling the outbreak of the SARS virus for either military or political reasons. The result has forced Beijing to quarantine over 16,000 people, ban movies, close restaurants and seal off several major hospitals.

According to WHO, more than 6,000 people have contracted SARS and more than 400 have died in 27 countries.

Dangerous Dictatorships

Several intelligence and law enforcement officials have openly expressed concerns that trusting the Chinese Communist Party to live up to WHO treaty regulations may be a false hope. The officials from various Western nations noted that the Chinese regime's response was dangerous to other nations and may very well be reason to expel it from the World Trade Organization.

SARS has also reportedly infected the families of top-ranking communist officials. Wang Jun, chairman of the Chinese arms company Polytechnologies, has reportedly contracted the disease. Wang is best known for his visit to the Clinton White House in 1996 with convicted China-gate figure Charlie "Ya lin" Trie.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; longevity; sars; virus
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1 posted on 05/05/2003 2:27:41 PM PDT by jerseygirl
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To: jerseygirl
bttt!
2 posted on 05/05/2003 2:29:30 PM PDT by ellery
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To: jerseygirl
Short sell Wal-Mart!
3 posted on 05/05/2003 2:30:53 PM PDT by ffusco (Maecilius Fuscus, Governor of Longovicium , Manchester, England. 238-244 AD)
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To: jerseygirl
SARS virus can survive on common surfaces at room temperature for days

They are saying 4 days to be specific. The greatest majority of imports from china come via ship and take a minimum of 3 weeks.

scientists working on the SARS virus also showed that common detergents failed to kill the disease, suggesting that efforts to sterilize contaminated areas and goods may be futile

This fails to mention that scientists also discovered that ordinary household disinfectant DOES kill it.

Two Russian researchers who recently returned from China have stated that they feel the virus was artificially created and released accidentally

Don't you just love those *unnamed* sources whose *speculation* they are citing here?

China withheld information on SARS and in my opinion, they could very well still be underplaying it. They have not lived up to their WHO obligations. Now this is news and this is not speculation. Why doesn't this outfit just stick with the facts and knock off all the half-truths and speculation?

4 posted on 05/05/2003 2:40:54 PM PDT by CometBaby
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To: aristeides; Dark Wing
ping
5 posted on 05/05/2003 2:42:23 PM PDT by Thud
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To: CometBaby
And it takes a container 2 weeks to arrive at the westcoast and 4 for the eastcoast, pure panic by whoever wrote this.
6 posted on 05/05/2003 2:44:08 PM PDT by BubbaJunebug
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To: jerseygirl
Yes, it's unlikely that it could be spread on Chinese imports. But it can't be entirely ruled out until they do more work on it.

And frankly it wouldn't break my heart if people refused to buy Chinese imports. We run an enormous balance of payments deficit with China, and many of these imports are made by political prisoners.
7 posted on 05/05/2003 3:13:55 PM PDT by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: Dr. Eckleburg; flutters
PING!!!!!!!!!!!!

A virus that is surviving outside a host?
8 posted on 05/05/2003 3:30:48 PM PDT by Calpernia (www.HelpFeedaChild.com)
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To: jerseygirl
Remniscent of the Osaka Flu coming over in juice looseners...
As usual, the inventor is Dr. Nick Riviera. His latest creation is an orange juice squeezer called the ``Juice Loosener''. Homer orders one.

In Osaka, Japan, a Japanese assembly line worker with the flu coughs into the box destined for Homer Simpson before sealing it.

``6 to 8 weeks later''... The juice loosener arrives, and Homer is immediately greeted with a green cloud of germs.


9 posted on 05/05/2003 3:43:11 PM PDT by Fixit
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To: jerseygirl
Time to bring back "Made in America" in lieu of
"Made in China"
10 posted on 05/05/2003 3:46:46 PM PDT by topher
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To: ellery
~And frankly it wouldn't break my heart if people refused ~to buy Chinese imports. We run an enormous balance of ~payments deficit with China, and many of these imports ~are made by political prisoners.


I have to agree with Ciciro on this. I hope this story gets the coverage it deserves. Factory "workers" in China have few if any rights. Adequate healthcare is not one of them unless you consider forced sterilization/ abortion, organ donation, etc. qualifiers.

Wonder how many factories are in the affected areas inside China? What brands do they produce? I'll bet they are suppressing the numbers of infected there, too.

We are aware of the human airline passengers spreading this around the world. What guarantees do we have that products from these areas aren't infected? Will this even be mentioned by Beijing?

Quarantine all Chinese imports!!!

11 posted on 05/05/2003 3:52:37 PM PDT by 1ofmanyfree ((All your SARS are belong to us))
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To: jerseygirl
The discovery is a shock to importers of Chinese-made goods because it is clearly possible to contract the disease from products contaminated by infected workers.

This is ugly......

12 posted on 05/05/2003 3:58:37 PM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: 1ofmanyfree
My daughter just did a report on American Inventions for Patriots Day at school. I had been trekking through 2nd hand shops, pawn shops, yard sales and such for the past 2 months so she could bring in visuals. It was such a joy to clean up items, ie, adding machine, old REMINGTON Typewriter, telephone, etc. that had "MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" stamped on it.

Could you imagine if we reopen American Factories again? Maybe their is a silver lining in here someplace.
13 posted on 05/05/2003 3:59:43 PM PDT by Calpernia (www.HelpFeedaChild.com)
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To: CometBaby
They are saying 4 days to be specific. The greatest majority of imports from china come via ship and take a minimum of 3 weeks.

Oh really? Every seen the amount of goods coming out of China via aircraft? Thousands of tons of cheap Chinese products arrive daily!

14 posted on 05/05/2003 4:03:16 PM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Joe Hadenuf; CometBaby
Also, if the crew themselves are infected, then they could unload cargo with fresh viruses.
15 posted on 05/05/2003 4:09:54 PM PDT by Calpernia (www.HelpFeedaChild.com)
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To: Calpernia
I am starting to think this is no natural disease. Beginning to think this thing my be man made.
16 posted on 05/05/2003 4:12:44 PM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Joe Hadenuf
May be man made. A very nasty bug to say the least......
17 posted on 05/05/2003 4:13:19 PM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: BubbaJunebug
And it takes a container 2 weeks to arrive at the westcoast and 4 for the eastcoast, pure panic by whoever wrote this.

And it takes a matter of hours for a jumbo jet to arrive with tons of Chinese product, and potential human carriers......And they arrive many times, daily.....

18 posted on 05/05/2003 4:18:18 PM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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To: Joe Hadenuf
jerseygirl and I did quite a few searches in Google that suggests the same thing.

Also, this is a 'rough' reference cause I'm working on something and can't readily source the link; but, flutters has a link bookmarked. It was an interview from an Australian doctor that went to China to gather information on the virus. One of his first visits was to a military hospital (NOT in Guangdong). He never went to Guangdong. China claims that Guangdong was the source of the initial outbreak. If you were a doctor sent to investigate....wouldn't your first stop be to the "initial" outbreak? So, maybe the military hospital was?
19 posted on 05/05/2003 4:21:21 PM PDT by Calpernia (www.HelpFeedaChild.com)
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To: Calpernia
Interesting. I personally think there is more to this than being reported. And after reading this article, I am even more confident of that, as it's hard to believe that a natural occuring virus could last this long outside of it's host.. Very ugly indeed.......
20 posted on 05/05/2003 4:26:48 PM PDT by Joe Hadenuf
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