China helps Africa fight Ebola(2)

Feeling isolated while being treated at the center, some patients refused to take medicine, some sank into depression, and others even got angry with the medical staff, said Wu.

To cheer Yayuma up, nurses kept giving her chocolate, biscuits and ham sausages. Beside her pillow, there was a teddy bear donated by a young Chinese nurse who brought the toy from China as a loving token of her own baby that she had to leave back at home.

"We want to do more than just cure the girl's illness," said Jin.

By early December, the treatment center had received nearly 400 people, of whom 140 were able to leave after being confirmed no longer carrying the Ebola virus.

So far, the center has received more Ebola patients than any other facilities in Sierra Leone, said Li Jin, head of the Chinese medical team based in the country.

RUNNING AGAINST TIME

To the north of the SKD Stadium of Monrovia, Liberia's capital, a China-built medical center received on Tuesday its first confirmed Ebola patient, a 22-year-old woman, since it was put into commission at the end of November.

On the night of Dec. 5, the center received its first suspected Ebola patient.

So far, the facility, part of the fourth emergency aid package from the Chinese government, has received 37 patients. Currently, nine of the 27 suspected Ebola patients remain in the center for treatment and observation, according to Chinese doctors.

A team of more than 160 medical personnel from the Chinese People's Liberation Army have been helping the Liberian government run the facility.

"In Liberia, I am first a soldier and then an expert in epidemic control," said Liu Ding, infection control director with the Daping Hospital of the Third Military Medical University in China.

Given the highly contagious nature of the virus, even a slightest mistake could bring about catastrophic consequences. As a result, Liu and his colleagues have been working under tremendous pressure.

The intensity of work, psychological pressure as well as the jet-lag have encroached on the sleeping time of Liu, who can only sleep three to four hours a day even with the help of sleeping pills.

The center, covering an area of 5,800 square meters and equipped with 100 beds, was built in accordance with the standards of hospitals specializing in treating infectious diseases.

In line with WHO criteria, it is installed with a network of videophones and two electronic systems -- one for monitoring patients and the other for keeping and managing medical records.

At the opening ceremony of the medical center, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf hailed China's efforts in helping his country fight Ebola.

"We called for help from our partners and China was one of the first countries to answer our call," said Sirleaf.

The medical center, a top facility in treating epidemic diseases, is not only a model for Liberia-China cooperation but also a symbol of the persistent friendship between the two countries, the president added.