Foreign students put their heart into fighting outbreak

Nigerian student Mustapha Bala Tsakuwa (right), from the International College of Southwest University in Chongqing, talks about tackling the novel coronavirus on Feb 18. WANG QUANCHAO/XINHUA

Iroegbu Paul Ikechukwu, from Nigeria, watches the English bulletin that provides the latest information on the novel coronavirus outbreak every day.

"My Chinese is still not good enough to read, and the English bulletin keeps me updated," he says.

"My family was a little worried in the beginning, but I told them that life here is normal and the university has taken multiple measures to protect us. I feel very secure," he says.

In the hall of the International College of Southwest University in Chongqing, Nigerian student Mustapha Bala Tsakuwa is explaining the transmission pattern of the novel coronavirus and epidemic prevention measures to students from different countries.

"In fact, infectious diseases are the common enemies of everyone. I hope I can share some epidemic prevention knowledge with my classmates and raise their awareness of epidemic control and prevention measures," says the young man.

Tsakuwa praised China's efforts in curbing the spread of the virus. "I'm amazed at how quickly hospitals were built in China," he says."I think only China can facilitate the construction of a hospital within days."

A volunteer team consisting of foreign students is also active in Southwest University. They were responsible for disinfecting facilities on the campus and assisting in the distribution of epidemic prevention supplies.

"Disasters and diseases are common threats that human beings are confronted with. The anti-virus effort China has made is touching and I hope the world can put aside its differences and join hands to fight against the epidemic at this time," says Ikechukwu."I believe we'll eventually win this battle."