CRI听力:China Joins Fight against Ebola

Three Chinese disease-control teams have been sent to West Africa to help fight the deadly Ebola virus, which has already claimed close to a thousand lives so far this year.

CRI's Xiong Siqi has more.

Reporter:
The first team of Chinese medical experts has already left for Guinea, which along with Sierra Leone and Liberia, are struggling to try to contain the deadly Ebola virus.

Each Chinese team includes one epidemiologist as well as two specialists in disinfection and protection.

Sun Hui, one of the medical specialists, says their mission is to provide training.

"Our major mission is to assist the embassies in distributing medical supplies and help train the local medical staff. We will also provide training to the staff members in our embassies and Chinese companies so they can better protect themselves against the virus."

This new batch of Chinese experts will join three other Chinese medical teams already working in the three countries.

China has already dispatched around 80 tons of anti-Ebola materials to the three countries.

The materials mainly include disinfects, medicines and protective clothing.

Wang Yu is the director of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Coping with Ebola, you need to have special protection, such as special masks, protective goggles and protective clothing. The need for these materials is huge. "

This is the second batch of Ebola relief sent by China.

Authorities sent a first batch of relief materials in May.

As the virus spreads, West African nations are stepping up their own measures to try to contain the deadly outbreak.

Soldiers have been enforcing quarantines by setting up checkpoints and trying to reduce public gatherings in Liberia.

Philip Tamba is a local street vendor.

"Life is getting very difficult. Now some of us need to move around, buy something from the market, ride motorbikes and do other activities. Now the government is saying that everyone should remain home, everyone should stay at their various places."

Meanwhile, Rwandan health officials have placed a man suspected of suffering from Ebola in isolation.

Samples from the suspected case have been sent for testing.

This would be the first suspected Ebola case in Rwanda.

The WHO has described the outbreak as a global emergency and the worst in four decades.

Ebola can be fatal in up to 90 percent of cases, depending on the strain.

The Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person.

There is currently no known cure or vaccine for the virus.

For CRI, I'm Xiong Siqi.