CRI听力:Top-Level Laboratory Completed for Ebola Virus Study

Reporter:
The National Bio-safety Laboratory, the country's first bio-safety level-4 laboratory, also known as a P4 laboratory, will enable scientists to research live strands of the Ebola virus.

Gao Fu is the Deputy Director of China's Disease Prevention and Control Center.

"Despite all of our previous knowledge about Ebola, even on the international level, further studies on Ebola virus-induced immunopathology and the cellular mechanism of pathological phenomena are still needed. With the completion of P4, once we study Ebola, this is a very critical scientific question to be answered."

The lab facility is designed to meet the highest-level bio-safety standards.

It is an essential platform for research and development against highly contagious and infectious diseases.

President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Bai Chunli says P4 is important for China's public health defense system.

"Major national scientific and technological infrastructure is an important foundation for scientific research. It is also a very significant means of measuring a country's ability to innovate technologically. P4 is a fundamental part to the building up of China's public health defense system. It will play important role in the country's future response to new outbreaks of infectious diseases and aid in developing antiviral drugs and vaccines."

The central government approved the P4 laboratory in 2003 after the SARS outbreak.

In October 2004, China signed a cooperation agreement on the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases with France.

With French assistance in laboratory design, establishing bio-safety standards and personnel training, construction started in 2011 and lasted for three years.

Professor Gao Fu says he is optimistic about the prospects for the future elimination of the Ebola virus.

"Currently, the Ebola epidemic situation has been restrained and we have started the post-Ebola discussions. It looks like the virus will not pick up again in Western African areas. But to completely eliminate each case, it may take some time. And in terms of research, now the international community has two vaccines and so far the treatment effects are pretty good."

Professor Gao has also pointed out that, despite the initial successes seen in controlling the spread of the virus, studies on Ebola should continue.

Earlier, ten national-level research institutes in China have carried out studies on Ebola diagnosis techniques with an eye to developing diagnostic tools and a vaccine.

Since the epidemic, China has also sent several medical teams to help African countries to fight against the deadly virus.

For CRI, this is Wang Wei.