Appalling! Customs seized ＞20,000 cockroaches!

On 18 March, when Xiamen Customs was carrying out entry health quarantine on an ocean-going fishing vessel, it found that a large number of cockroaches (cockroaches) appeared on the decks, cabins, dining rooms, food storage rooms and other areas. After monitoring, the dead cockroaches after the de-pesting treatment amounted to more than 20,000 cockroaches. These are important vector organisms for many kinds of infectious diseases in human beings.

In recent years, the Customs has frequently detected alien species when seizing inbound vessels. These organisms, if carrying viruses, may cause serious harm to the country's ecology, economy and human health.

Alien species usually refer to organisms that are not native to the region and have entered other places. They may carry pathogens or viruses and pose a threat to local biodiversity, ecological balance and human health. These organisms are often spread to destination countries through the cargo, hulls and tanks of inbound ships.

Once the invasion of alien species occurs, the following hazards may be triggered.

1. Ecological environment damage: some invasive alien organisms have strong adaptability and reproduction ability, once they enter the local ecosystem, they may compete and prey on the original species, destroying the ecological balance. At the same time, certain invasive alien organisms may carry pathogens or viruses, posing a serious threat to local biodiversity and even triggering the risk of biological extinction.

2. Economic loss in agriculture and forestry: Viruses carried by invasive alien organisms may cause damage to agricultural and forestry resources such as crops, fruit trees and forest trees. They can infect plants, causing disease, reduced yields and even death, leading to significant losses for farmers and the agricultural industry.

3. Increased economic costs: The spread and infestation of invasive alien organisms will increase the economic costs of governance and control. The state needs to invest a lot of human, financial and material resources to cope with the hazards of foreign viruses, epidemic prevention and control and ecological restoration, which will put considerable pressure on the state's finances.

4. Human Health Risks: Viruses carried by invasive alien organisms may pose potential threats to human health. These viruses can be transmitted to humans through vectors, causing diseases and epidemics.

To address the virus risk posed by exotic species, Customs has stepped up inspections of ships, their cargoes, water tanks, etc. to prevent the invasion of invasive species and the spread of viruses carried by them. However, more international co-operation and policy measures are still needed to further strengthen the inspection of incoming goods to prevent invasive alien organisms carrying viruses from causing harm to the country and to better protect natural ecosystems, human health and the country's economic interests.

(Please note this article is basically based on machine translation, for reference only.)

Editor: Samantha

Contact: v10@cbcgdf.org; +8617319454776

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