China a time bomb, scientists warned in 2007

New Delhi, March 23

As the world battles growing new Covid pandemic that has killed over 14,500 persons, a study that appeared 12 years back then claimed that the situation in China was a ‘time bomb’ for a dangerous virus outbreak.

Published by the journal ‘Clinical Microbiology Reviews’ in 2007, the researchers noted that the “presence of a large reservoir of SARS-CoV-like viruses in horseshoe bats, together with the culture of eating exotic mammals in southern China, is a time bomb”.

The cause for concern was due to the culture of eating exotic mammals in southern China.

“The possibility of the reemergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and other novel viruses from animals or laboratories and therefore the need for preparedness should not be ignored,” warned the study.

Coronaviruses are well known to undergo genetic recombination, which may lead to new genotypes and outbreaks.

It’s been 17 years since a respiratory virus called SARS appeared in China. By the time the global SARS outbreak was contained, the virus spread to over 8,000 persons worldwide and killed almost 800.

The new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 which causes the disease COVID-19, surpassed the 2003 SARS outbreak long back.

It has killed over

14,500 persons and infected over 2.40 lakh people globally, according to

the latest data from John Hopkins University’s Coronavirus resource Center. —IANS

Loss of smell could be Covid symptom

Paris: The loss of the sense of smell, especially among the youth, could be a possible new symptom of Covid, according to French scientists who said they have been observing the phenomenon in recent days, and a section of British doctors are also of the same opinion. A loss of taste was an even rarer symptom and that both seemed to be more prevalent in young people with the virus. IANS