CRI听力:Chinese Relief Workers Combat Epidemic Spread in Nepal

Rescuers and medical volunteers from China have started to carry out relief efforts to combat epidemics in quake-hit Nepal.

CRI's Huang Shan reports.

Among other international rescue teams in Nepal, China's Red Cross team has arrived Kathmandu to carry out medical relief, inspection, decontamination and health quarantines in the capital and surrounding regions.

Deputy Chief of the China Red Cross team in Nepal, Ren Hao, introduces the ongoing efforts made by the team.

"The Red Cross Society of China has sent 2000 tents. We have conducted close cooperation with the Red Cross Society of Nepal and selected several spots in Katmandu and the nearby areas to put up the tents as soon as possible. We also have a medical team, which is equipped with equipment and medicines."

A week after the earth quake took place, the rescue priority is shifting to controlling outbreaks of epidemic disease.

Zhao Xiaowei, a doctor with the Red Cross team says some disease symptoms, including measles and diarrhea, have already developed in the region.

"We have mainly worked on the disease prevention. Because once epidemics break out at a large scale, it would be very difficult to treat the patients. We have to do our best on the disease control and prevention front in terms of equipment and medicines, and the local people as well. We brought many decontamination medicines and medicines for viruses that cause diarrhea.

Zhao Xiaowei has also mentioned that epidemic control should start with preventing the spread of respiratory and digestive disease.

"We wear facial mask at places that were crowded with people to prevent diseases via the spread of respiratory tract. Meanwhile we have done a lot of washing and disinfection work at a large scale at our work place daily. Secondly, in terms of preventing diarrhea, we have paid attention to our drinking water. The team members must drink mineral water."

In addition, if the bodies of earthquake victims cannot been arranged in a proper way, it may pose potential risks to local epidemic prevention works.

A member of China's Blue Sky Rescue Team, Song Gongwen, discusses their method for processing victims' bodies.

"Generally speaking we have a simple set of procedures to deal with the remains. Firstly we disinfected the remains after finding them in the rescue work and put them in complete body bags and bound them up. Then we disinfect them again, wrap them up and send them to the Nepal side."

China's Red Cross international rescue team has arrived in Kathmandu on April 30.

The team consists of 16 medical experts, with the aim of providing medical treatment and humanitarian services to earthquake-hit regions.

For CRI, I'm Huang Shan.