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CHINESE scientists have developed a new type of contraceptive pill to keep the rat population under control - a task that has become more urgent as the rodents are suspected of being linked to SARS.
The pills, developed by the Sichuan Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Centre, have different tastes and fragrances favored by rodents, including apple, fish and sesame, the China Daily said.
They stop male rodents from producing sperm, and unlike rat poison, are not dangerous for humans or other animals, the report quoted Centre official Wang Qiuzhi as saying.
"Only one gram of such a contraceptive can sterilize 100 rats," Ma Lin, one of the pill developers, was quoted as saying.
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