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MOSAIC: Fighting SARS with firecrackers
A RAPIDLY growing appetite for shark-fin soup has prompted the development of new genetic tests that will help safeguard the shark for commerce as well as conservation. The Whale Shark is the world’s largest fish — not an aggressive monster, but a gentle, slow-moving plankton-feeder that can reach more than 40 feet in length and weigh over 15 tons. But the giant creature is easily caught by fishermen who supply the market for shark fins, used to make an expensive Chinese soup. A large fin from a Whale Shark can sell for more than $10,000 in China, and conservationists say the growing trade in shark fins has become a serious threat not only to Whale Sharks, but also to other shark species almost everywhere. The major cause of the skyrocketing demand for shark fins is rising affluence throughout Asia, according to Peter Knights, director of a conservation organization based in San Francisco. In particular, he says, “It’s because of the growth of the middle class in mainland China, where eating shark fin soup is a very conspicuous way of showing increased affluence.” In the Far East, shark fin has long been a delicacy. Because the fin is so costly, however, only the wealthiest families could afford to serve it. Now the demand for shark fin has boomed along with Asian economies. Anywhere there is a large Chinese population there is a demand for shark-fin soup. In Chinatowns in New York, San Francisco, and Vancouver, for example, you can find packaged shark fin in many stores. The Chinese consider the shark fin to have medicinal qualities. Everything from curing cancer to just a healthy tonic — the equivalent of chicken soup. Some believe that the shark fin is an aphrodisiac. In commercial fishing, shark fin is much more in demand than shark flesh. Consequently, many fishing vessels slice off the fin and dump the carcass overboard - a brutal and wasteful practice called finning. The shark, which cannot swim without its fins, either drowns or dies from starvation. In the United States, the purchasing, landing or possession of shark fins alone is prohibited under the Shark Finning Prohibition Act, which was enacted on December 27, 2000. Shark fin is one of the most expensive foods in the world. In the United States, a bowl of shark-fin soup can sell for $70 to $150. For trophy species like the Whale and Basking Shark, a single fin can fetch $10,000 to $20,000.— Samina Iqbal INJECTION overuse has been well documented in the developing world, states a recent issue of the Journal of Pakistan Medical Association. Injections are administered for various reasons with an important presumption being that they provide rapid recovery to the patient and are rewarding economically for the provider and compliance is better. Injection practices in the developing countries are often not safe. The introduction of disposable syringes was considered to overcome the problem of inadequate sterilization. Nevertheless reuse of these syringes are a grave danger to health as transmission of Hepatitis B,C and human immunodeficiency virus finds an easy route through contaminated needles. Improper disposal of used syringes is a danger for the general population. Syringes lying in open places, especially in rural areas, can be picked up by children who can get pricked and infected. Pakistan has a high prevalence of Hepatitis B and C and therapeutic injections have been reported as a major risk factor for these two all the way from Karachi, Hafizabad and Rawalpindi. A study conducted to describe the disposal of syringes by general practitioners of Murree, revealed that none were using sharp containers for destroying syringes although all claimed single use only. Most doctors (60 per cent) were throwing syringes at open places and 25 per cent in muncipal waste bins. A large number of injections were administered for fever, bodyaches, diarrhoea, and respiratory tract infection. The study results recommend the development of a safe and cost effective method of waste disposal and incineration, feasible at the general practitioners level. — Dr Fatema Jawad | ||
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