China rushes to the frontline in the fight against Ebola(2)

In Sierra Leone, the most severely affected country, Chinese medical teams went above and beyond the call of duty and offered help in diagnosing the virus.

The Sierra Leone-China Friendship Hospital began treating people suspected of contracting Ebola in October. The hospital now serves as an Ebola diagnostic center. Those who test positive are transferred to special clinics run by international organizations.

A total 59 people, including 30 doctors and nurses from 302 Military Hospital, Beijing who worked during the SARS outbreak in 2003, joined Chinese medical workers in Sierra Leone.

A Beijing doctor who served in Sierra Leone explained proper protection is a top priority. During examinations, all personnel are covered head to toe in thick protective suits, glasses, masks and gloves.

"I was bathed in sweat every day," he said.

Sharing experience

Chinese experience in tackling other pandemic diseases such as SARS could be of great value in West Africa.

In 2003 during the SARS crisis in Beijing, the capital built an emergency medical facility in Xiaotangshan, a town on the northern outskirts of Beijing, in only eight days, where all suspected and confirmed cases were sent for quarantine and treatment.

"China should send experienced personnel to help build similar hospitals like the one in Xiaotangshan to quarantine the infected. This will also help reduce fear [from spreading]," Zeng Guang, a top epidemic expert at the CDC, told the Global Times.

Li Zhenjun, another CDC expert who went to Sierra Leone, said that China established an effective public health system after SARS that has helped China cope with avian flu and other outbreaks, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

As the number of infections increase, there is still much work to be done to contain the outbreak.

Though countries like the US, UK, France, China and Cuba have committed assets and personnel, progress is slow. There is a lack of isolation centers with trained health staff, An Na, China Representative of DWB in Beijing, said on Tuesday.

An said that NGOs and the ministries of health cannot contain the outbreak alone. "Greater mobilization of resources at the international level is needed to support the governments and stop the outbreak."

China and Africa have enjoyed a deep friendship for years and it is impossible for China to stand aside during Africa's time of difficulty, said Zhong Jianhua, China's Special Representative on African Affairs. "It is China's responsibility to join hands with Africans and face this disaster threatening humanity."

A Chinese employed in West Africa for more than five years said that some locals may think China on;y offered help because of the Chinese communities and many construction and energy projects in the region.

"But it is also done with a sincerity that has been felt by many Africans I know," he said, requesting anonymity. "No doubt China's image has been improved here. It's not a country that seeks only to profit from Africa," he added.

According to the Chinese foreign ministry, about 10,000 Chinese live in the three afflicted countries.

Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma said during the commissioning of the Chinese diagnostic center on September 26 that the Chinese people have "come at a time when we needed them most."

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf also lauded China's assistance at the handover ceremony of medical supplies donated by China in August.