For China, experience is the greatest teacher

China is utilizing its experiences and lessons from the prevention and treatment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome to help fight the Ebola virus in West Africa, Chinese officials say.

By following the principle of early detection, reporting, quarantine and treatment, China will build a 100-bed treatment center in Liberia where the epidemic is most serious, said Wang Shengwen, director-general of the Commerce Ministry's Foreign Aid Department, on Nov 3.

The center will be managed and operated by a medical team from the People's Liberation Army, and the Chinese government has selected and trained 480 medical personnel from the PLA to be sent to Liberia, Wang said.

During the construction of the center, China will strictly meet the requirements for building hospitals that can treat infectious diseases. Wang said buffer zones will be built at the hospital to distinguish between areas that are clean, semi-polluted and polluted.

Following the treatment guidelines set by the World Health Organization, Chinese medical workers are closely observing suspected Ebola patients and treated patients diagnosed with the virus.

They have also carried out campaigns to create more awareness about the prevention and treatment of Ebola and about personal sanitation and health.

Since April this year, China, the first foreign country to provide assistance to the nations ravaged by the virus, has delivered four batches of emergency relief materials to affected countries, Vice-Minister of Commerce Fang Aiqing said.

In addition to providing funds and food, China has also provided supplies such as protective clothes and goggles, sprayers, gauze masks, body thermometers as well as temperature monitors.

China has also set up laboratories and holding centers and sent expert groups and medical teams to affected countries. The country will provide ambulances, motorcycles, healthcare kits, hospital beds, pickup trucks and incinerators, he said.

Meanwhile, Sierra Leone has expressed its "heartfelt appreciation" for China's support and technical assistance in the fight against the Ebola virus.

A note dated Oct 15 sent by Sierra Leone's permanent UN mission in Geneva to its Chinese counterpart said the country "is grateful for this important and generous contribution".

Sierra Leone looks forward to further cooperation and collaboration with the Chinese government as the country strives to eliminate the spread of the terrible disease, the statement said.

Since the Ebola outbreak, the Chinese government has taken the lead in responding to the appeals from the affected countries and from the WHO.

Domestically, China has strengthened preventive measures and is confident it can battle a possible Ebola outbreak, a health official said on Nov 3.

Wang Wenjie of the National Health and Family Planning Commission said at a news conference that a national joint prevention and control mechanism can help China contain the disease in a timely manner in the event of an outbreak.

China has not reported any confirmed cases of the virus, but experts say risks exist with the rise of international travel between China and African countries, said Wang.

He also revealed that there have been no confirmed Ebola cases among Chinese citizens living and working abroad or among Chinese medical workers helping to combat the disease in Africa.

"China has devised contingency plans to give timely and effective treatment to Chinese citizens once there is a confirmed case abroad, including transferring patients back home if necessary," Wang said.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/07/2014 page8)