China is ‘vulnerable’ to Ebola outbreak: Expert
1 Nov 2014 4:47 AM IST
China is ‘vulnerable’ to the deadly Ebola outbreak due to the soaring number of Chinese working in Africa and poor infection control at home, a co-discoverer of the virus warned on Thursday.
Belgian microbiologist Peter Piot also warned experience with other viral outbreaks showed that airport screening was largely ineffective, and repeated his earlier criticism of the World Health Organization’s ‘slow’ response to the outbreak this year.China is Africa’s largest trading partner and Beijing’s diplomatic footprint across the continent has expanded hugely in recent years as it seeks resources to drive the world’s number-two economy.
‘Thousands and thousands of Chinese workers and people are in Africa now,’ Piot told an Ebola-focused seminar in Tokyo.‘So it is not impossible that one of them will go (back) to China.’
Belgian microbiologist Peter Piot also warned experience with other viral outbreaks showed that airport screening was largely ineffective, and repeated his earlier criticism of the World Health Organization’s ‘slow’ response to the outbreak this year.China is Africa’s largest trading partner and Beijing’s diplomatic footprint across the continent has expanded hugely in recent years as it seeks resources to drive the world’s number-two economy.
‘Thousands and thousands of Chinese workers and people are in Africa now,’ Piot told an Ebola-focused seminar in Tokyo.‘So it is not impossible that one of them will go (back) to China.’
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