HNOM PENH, Cambodia - Fear of catching bird flu from eating chicken has prompted some people in northwest Cambodia to resort to eating rats, a newspaper reported Tuesday. <br><br>Rats have been fetching good prices in Battambang province during the last two weeks, according to Rasmei Kampuchea, or the Light of Cambodia. <br><br>The newspaper said villagers catch the rodents in nearby rice fields and sell them for up to 35 cents each to market vendors, who resell the meat for about 20 cents a pound. <br><br>"I started selling rat meat over two weeks ago when people became afraid of eating chickens for fear of getting infected with bird flu," Chhun Sarom, a 38-year-old vendor, was quoted as saying. <br>Cambodia is one of 10 Asian governments that have confirmed outbreaks of bird flu. The virus has killed 14 people in Vietnam, six in Thailand and tens of millions of chickens across Asia. Health experts say eating properly cooked chicken poses no danger to people, but the outbreak has chilled demand for chicken throughout the region. <br>There have been no reported human cases of bird flu in Cambodia, but three cases of the virus were confirmed in animals near Phnom Penh and at a zoo south of the capital. <br><br>More than 25,000 chickens, ducks and swans have been culled in Cambodia in an effort to stop the disease from spreading. <br><br>Chhun Sarom said he sold up to 130 pounds of rat meat a day. Mao Say, 50, told the newspaper that she and her four children catch about 18 pounds of rats in the rice fields daily. <br><br>eople eat the rat meat with rice or as a snack while drinking alcohol. <br> 禽流感引发鼠肉畅销<br><br> 金边，柬埔寨－由于害怕食用鸡肉感染禽流感，柬埔寨西北部的一些民众已改食鼠肉。柬埔寨Rasmei报和柬埔寨之光报均刊载，过去的两周内，鼠肉在Battambang省很畅销，价格也因此而飞涨。据报道，村民们在附近的稻谷地中捕捉田鼠，并以每只35分的价格卖给集市小贩，小贩们再以每磅20分的价格出售鼠肉。<br><br> 一名38岁的集市小贩Chhun Sarom说：“我从两周前开始销售鼠肉，因为人们害怕吃鸡肉而染上禽流感。”柬埔寨是十个宣布国内爆发禽流感疫情的亚洲国家之一。这种传染病已经导致越南14人，泰国6人，以及亚洲数以百万计的禽类死亡。虽然健康专家一再表明，食用正确烹制的鸡肉不会给人类健康造成威胁，难以控制的疫情仍然使鸡肉的消耗骤减。柬埔寨目前还没有报道有人类感染禽流感，但是金边附近以及首都南部的一个动物园中已有三例确诊感染禽流感的动物病例。为了阻止疫病的传播，柬埔寨已经扑杀了大约25,000只鸡、鸭以及天鹅等禽类。<br><br> Chhun Sarom声称他每天都可以卖掉130磅鼠肉。而今年50岁的Mao Say对媒体说，她带领四个孩子每天都可以在稻谷地中捕获18磅田鼠。人们就着米饭食用鼠肉，或者作为饮酒时的佐餐佳品。<br>
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