FREETOWN: Sierra Leone’s Health and Sanitation Minister Alpha Tejan Wurie has lauded the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) for its support in the country’s fight against infectious diseases.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Xinhua, the minister said the government of Sierra Leone continues to realize greater commitment from the China CDC in terms of developing the health sector, and added that without the intervention of China CDC, it would have been extremely difficult for Sierra Leone to make the required gains in the health sector.
The China CDC team arrived in Sierra Leone in mid-December last year with the task of implementing the second technical assistance project of Sierra Leone’s fixed biosafety laboratory from the China CDC.
Wu Wei, deputy chief of the team, said the project is a follow-up project of China’s assistance to the public health improvement of Sierra Leone since the Ebola period in 2014. “It aims to help Sierra Leone improve its capacity to prevent and control infectious diseases,” he said. According to Wu, since the outbreak of COVID-19, the 11-member team has shifted its focus to fighting against the coronavirus for Sierra Leones. The team has always maintained good communication and collaboration with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation, World Health Organization, World Bank, and other international organizations. – Agencies
