Chinese tie-ups give African public health a shot in the arm – Chinadaily.com.cn
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Chinese tie-ups give African public health a shot in the arm
China’s public health collaboration with Africa has delivered concrete results over the past decade, from containing acute outbreaks and strengthening disease surveillance and response to cultivating local disease control specialists, experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.
In Sierra Leone, a China-aided biosafety laboratory built during the 2014 Ebola outbreak has become a key asset in the West African nation’s fight against infectious diseases, said Kan Biao, head of the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention under the China CDC.
“The China-Sierra Leone friendship biosafety laboratory is now capable of testing for 26 viruses, as well as 10 bacteria and malaria parasites,” Kan said ahead of the China-Africa Public Health Forum, which is scheduled to open in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Friday.
During last year’s mpox outbreak in Sierra Leone, the lab handled more than 50 percent of suspected samples nationwide. Kan recalled a local health official saying that thanks to the facility, they no longer had to send samples overseas and wait weeks for results.
“Getting accurate results quickly is essential to controlling an outbreak. After years of technical assistance and training, Sierra Leone is increasingly able to run pathogen tests on its own,” he added.
Kan also noted that Chinese experts have helped train 1,061 local public health specialists and 19 laboratory technicians.
“Seeing the role the lab plays, and seeing more Sierra Leonean colleagues learn these techniques, gives me great pride,” he said.
Wang Lili, an associate researcher from the Center for Global Public Health under the China CDC, said adapting Chinese experience to local conditions abroad has been a key priority in international collaboration.
“For instance, when designing capacity building or laboratory construction projects, we took local power supply, consumable supply chains and personnel rend steadily ramp up their capabilities,” she said
She added that when assisting with the rollout of a national hepatitis control plan in 2023, Chinese experts worked with local health authorities to integrate Chinese strategies with the country’s disease burden, healthcare re
In Zanzibar, an archipelago off the eastern coast of Tanzania, Chinese experts from the Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases have worked since 2017 to introduce Chinese experience in controlling schistosomiasis, a tropical parasitic disease that could cause organ damage and stunted growth.
Dai Yang, deputy director of the institute, said the first phase of the project reduced infection rates in pilot regions on Pemba Island from 8.92 to 0.64 percent, through a combination of safe water supply systems, disease treatment, snail control and health education.
The second phase, launched in 2023, has covered the entire island, cutting the infection rate to 0.68 percent, while extending to Unguja Island.
“To tailor our strategies to local circumstances, we have conducted comprehensive research to understand the distribution pattern of the specific snail species that act as intermediate hosts of the disease in the region, while devising drug spraying and snail control protocols suited to the ecologies of local ponds and creeks,” he said.
To reduce the risk of exposure to contaminated water while showering or washing clothes, Dai said public health experts also set up water facilities in villages with unsafe water re
“When clean water flowed from the tap at a facility we set up in a remote village, I remember a primary school student named Ali yelling with excitement, saying that he could now collect clean water and protect his parents,” Dai said.
While tackling regional threats, Chinese experts have also played an essential role in strengthening the capabilities of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. The Africa CDC headquarters, built with Chinese aid, was handed over for use in 2023.
“Among our ultimate goals here is to enable local African experts and workers to independently manage an effective public health system in the future,” said Zhang Yi, a researcher from the China CDC who serves as a senior adviser at the Africa CDC.
He said a program involving the China CDC, the Africa CDC and the United Nations Children’s Fund aims to produce more than 150 certified African trainers capable of training additional local community health workers in the long term.
“We have also jointly drafted standard operating procedures covering biosafety, genome sequencing, drug resistance testing, surveillance system assessment and product evaluation and validation. These standards will be incorporated into the Africa CDC’s quality management system and guide their daily work,” he said.
Zhang added that the team has helped hire local technicians, offer internship positions and launch various education programs to foster more local talent.
“Many of my African colleagues are interested in how China has managed to curb epidemics over the years, and they are passionate about improving health levels in their home countries,” he said. “I take great pride in being able to leverage my expertise and share Chinese experiences with them.”
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