PETALING JAYA: China’s eating habits could bring about ‘the end of the human race’ says veteran newsman Datuk A. Kadir Jasin (pix).

The communications and media adviser to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad in a Facebook post, blamed China’s appetite for wild meats as the source of many recent deadly animal-borne diseases.

“The Kingdom strikes back.”

“The year of the rat saw China exporting the corona virus flu.“

“China’s eating binge could be the beginning of the end of the human race,” Kadir said adding that the country must hold itself accountable.

Recently making the news is an outbreak of a coronavirus namely the Wuhan coronavirus.

The virus was initially identified in mid-December 2019 in the city of Wuhan in central China as an emerging cluster of people suffered Pneumonia with no clear cause, however it was linked primarily to stallholders who worked at the Huanan seafood market which also sold live animals.

Up to date, at least 25 people have died due to the virus and 850 cases of the virus have been reported in China.

Hong Kong and British scientists have estimated that between 1,300 and 1,700 people in the Wuhan may have been infected.

This is mounted with growing concerns of the virus spreading as hundreds of millions of people travel for the Chinese New Year celebrations, which starts today.

Apart from China, Thailand has reported four cases, while South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the United States have each confirmed one.

All the cases involve people who had either come from Wuhan or had been there recently.

Malaysia had recently quarantined four patients suspected to have contracted the virus but further tests revealed that all four were negative.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement urged the public to delay travels to Wuhan unless it was for important matters.

He also advised those who had returned to Malaysia after travelling to Wuhan to take precautionary measures.

He added that masks as well as hand sanitisers should be used and to avoid public places and mingle with those exhibiting symptoms.

“Avoid visiting farms, markets that sell live animals, abattoirs or touch any animals. During visits, avoid consuming raw animal produce or those that are not fully cooked,“ he said.

According to the World Health Organisation, signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties.

In more severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.