Ready to fight disease without borders

There are many lessons to be learned from China in managing the Ebola threat. The Ebola outbreak is more than just a health crisis; it is a complex emergency with significant social, economic, humanitarian, political and security dimensions.

As of Nov 12, a total of 14,098 Ebola cases and 5,160 deaths had been reported. But clinical follow-up of Ebola patients shows that as many as seven in 10 patients who contract the deadly virus die.

The threat from Ebola has been recognized at the highest levels. In September, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution declaring Ebola a threat to international peace and security. The UN established the Mission for Ebola Emergency Response - the first time that the UN has created a special mission for a public health emergency.

West African countries, especially Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, have been the worst hit by the deadly virus. Senegal and Nigeria, after containing small outbreaks, were declared Ebola-free in October. A small number of cases have now been reported from Mali. Isolated cases have been detected in the United States and Spain. In fact, no country is immune from the virus.

Given its deepening economic, trade, political and cultural links with West Africa, China has to be prepared to respond to a potential Ebola case on its soil, for which two factors are important.

First, the best way to stop an Ebola-infected person from arriving in China is to fight the outbreak at its source. China has made significant contributions to the fight against the disease in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. It has provided more than $120 million worth of support to the fight against the deadly virus, as well as dispatched medical teams to the Ebola-affected countries. A total of 252 Chinese health and medical personnel, along with essential supplies and equipment, such as mobile testing laboratories, are already working in West Africa .