05/16/07 the Next Epidemic from China

The number of dogs and cats that have died from traces of melamine in the Chinese wheat gluten is now reported to be around 4000. 4000, then there are the hundreds of US chickens that have been "culled", killed because they ate contaminated feed. Have we received any apology or a plan from China in dealing with this crisis? Are the Chinese offering US pet owners, chicken or pork farmers affected by their shoddy practices a cash settlement? No, in typical fashion their state-controlled news sources have said little about the deaths. Now Hong Kong is reporting that China is covering up an epidemic that is killing pigs in the same province that was under fire for concealing information about SARS virus. The outbreak is swine is especially frightening given the fact pigs and people can pass many of the same diseases. The World Health Organization is in a fury over the secrecy and Hong Kong television has run shocking pictures of pigs bleeding profusely while reporting that in some regions up to 80 percent of Chinese's pigs have died. The time is ripe to unite globally and pressure China into accountability.