Coronavirus epidemic is preventable, controllable curable, says Chinese envoy

Wuhan city, the sprawling capital of Hubei Province of China, is the epicentre of a global outbreak of coronavirus, which came to light in December last year when the World Health Organisation was alerted to several cases of pneumonia.

On January 7, Chinese authorities confirmed that they had identified a new virus, the same family of viruses that include SARS and MERS.

The new virus was temporarily named "2019- nCoV" The outbreak has claimed at least 170 people in China and left more than 7,000 people ill. New Vision's Taddeo Bwambale interviewed Zheng Zhuqiang, China's Ambassador to Uganda, about the outbreak and efforts to contain its spread and impact

Q: What is the latest update on the coronavirus outbreak and China's efforts to contain it?

A: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, by January 29, 7,736 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus have been reported in China. The pneumonia situation has resulted in 170 deaths, while 124 people have recovered.

One percent confirmed cases, or 69 cases, have been recorded to date in 16 other countries. There is no confirmed or suspected cases in Uganda to date. The Chinese people are fighting a very serious battle against the epidemic. The people's safety and health always come first, thus the prevention and control of the outbreak is China's most important work for now.

Since the outbreak, the Chinese government attaches great importance to the epidemic.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly given important instructions on prevention and control work. He personally held a meeting on the first day of the Chinese New Year for redeployment and remobilisation.

China has taken all-around strict measures including transport restrictions, extending the Chinese New Year holiday, postponing school openings, cancellation of gatherings, temporary closure of public venues, personnel tracking and management, temperature detection at subways, railway stations and airports.

Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic, has suspended the operation of city buses, subways, ferries and long-distance passenger transportation starting from January 23, temporarily closing the departure channels of airports and train stations.

Following Beijing's SARS treatment model in 2003, Wuhan is building two makeshift hospitals, which will have more than 2,300 beds, to treat pneumonia patients infected with the novel coronavirus. The two facilities are expected to be completed with a staggering speed of less than 15 days.

More than 7,000 doctors and nurses from other cities, provinces and the military have arrived in Wuhan and nearby areas to treat patients. Together with them, a large number of medical supplies has been sent.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of WHO, hailed the high speed and massive scale of China's moves as "rarely seen in the world". At the same time, in an attitude of openness and transparency, and a high degree of responsibility for global health security, China has informed the WHO, relevant countries and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of the latest epidemic situation and has shared information on virus gene sequences with all parties at the first time.

WHO expert group has arrived for the field visit in Wuhan and praised the effective measures taken by China to deal with the epidemic.

Should Ugandans be worried about travelling to China?

At present, the epidemic in China, especially in Wuhan, is still developing.

Given the frequent people-to-people exchanges between China and Uganda, many Ugandans are worried about travelling to China, and some even worry that the epidemic will be imported into Uganda.

Parents of Ugandan students who are studying in China, especially in Wuhan, are more worried. We fully understand it and hope that our Ugandan friends could believe in the Chinese government and people who will make every effort to ensure the health and safety of each and every foreigner in China.

As people may have noticed, to better prevent and control the epidemic, on January 21, the Wuhan government called on people outside Wuhan not to visit the city in the near future and advised citizens against leaving the city if not necessary. From the professional view, the WHO does not recommend hasty withdrawal of foreigners based in China.

I would like to take this opportunity to assure the Ugandan public that there are designated and backup hospitals for the treatment of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus in Wuhan and other places in China.

An effective response programme has been formulated. If there is a suspected illness, the person can contact the local medical institution as soon as possible to seek medical treatment. It is hoped that parents can tell the Ugandan students in China to actively cooperate with the university, strictly abide by relevant regulations, and work together to effectively prevent and control the epidemic.

For international travellers, the Chinese government has adopted strict preventive measures such as temperature screening at airports and ports to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

On January 23, the Ministry of Health of Uganda also announced prevention and control measures and has conducted temperature screening of all travellers at the points of entry into Uganda, especially Entebbe International Airport.

On January 29, the ministry further advised Ugandan citizens to minimise travel to and from the affected countries to avoid contracting and spreading the disease.

I call on Ugandan travellers who intend to visit China in the near future, to heed the travel advice issued by the Ministry of Health of Uganda, WHO and relevant Chinese authorities. My embassy will update information on our twitter account: @ChineseEmb_ Uga.

What is the origin of the Coronavirus? Some theories suggest that it originated from a laboratory.

 Clinical epidemiology materials infer that the virus was probably transmitted from wild animals to people in its initial phase, but has since adapted to the human body and now has entered into the phase of people-to-people transmission.

As we have limited knowledge of this new epidemic, it is not yet clear where the virus came from. According to recent clinical data, the transmission capacity of the virus has increased and its toxicity and virulence need to be further analysed based on more clinical data.

The Chinese New Year holiday has been extended. Will the virus be contained in that extension period?

According to expert advice, at this critical moment, it is important to reduce the movement of people to control the spread the epidemic.

Thus, extending the holiday and encouraging people to stay at home is one of the extraordinarily decisive measures China has taken to bring the situation back to normal as soon as possible, even though the extension will cause a drag to the economy.

At present, the epidemic is preventable, controllable and curable. With China's institutional advantage of gathering all resources to manage major events, we are confident and capable of overcoming the epidemic under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. As to the turning point of the epidemic, it is hard to predict when it will reach its peak.

But, according to Zhong Nanshan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a prominent expert in respiratory diseases, the peak may come in around February 10. After that, the number of people infected by the novel coronavirus will not increase massively.

Given your country's experience in handling the epidemic and previous outbreaks, would China be willing to support Uganda in the event of such an outbreak?

From the beginning of the epidemic, the Chinese side has attached great importance to international co-operation in public health.

The Chinese medical team in Uganda has also maintained close communication with the health ministry in Uganda, and notified the epidemic situation and China's prevention and control efforts in a timely manner. As pointed out by Chinese President Xi Jinping, "The epidemic is a devil.

We will not let it hide." The strong and decisive measures taken by China are not only protecting its people, but also the rest of the world. And furthermore, China is ready to work with Uganda as well as the international community to safeguard regional and global public health security.

Is it true that the embassy is advising Ugandans against travelling to China and has suspended issuance of visas?

It is not true. My embassy has never advised Ugandans against travelling to China because of the novel coronavirus epidemic. I suggest to our Ugandan friends who intend to visit China to heed the official travel advice by the Ministry of Health of Uganda, WHO and Chinese relevant authorities.

As to the suspension of visa issuance, the embassy's visa window is closed between January 24-30, due to the Chinese New Year holiday. The visa window will reopen on January 31.

I hope my explanation has helped you know more about the epidemic and better understand the prevention and control measures put in place by China and the international community. More updates will be coming out in an open and transparent manner.