BEIJING: China is strengthening its alertness and surveillance in the face of a novel coronavirus that has caused at least 224 cases of pneumonia. It is a battle China must win as people’s safety and health is concerned. People are reminded of the deadly Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003. But China is not what it was 17 years ago. The country has developed better disease combating mechanisms in terms of emergency response and transparency. The public has also become more composed and sober in facing the epidemic. To counter the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the country is sticking to the strategy of early discovery, diagnosis, treatment and quarantine, which remains the most effective method to bring the outbreak under control. It took just two weeks to identify the novel coronavirus. Well-rounded monitoring and quarantine systems have been adopted. Medical staff are fighting at the forefront in the prevention and control of the epidemic. Patients are receiving timely testing and treatment. Experts of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak of the new coronavirus can be reversed if measures are taken now. Although unnecessary panic should be avoided, China cannot afford to take the epidemic lightly. More frequent population movement has become a challenge to infectious disease control, especially during the Spring Festival travel rush which sees hundreds of millions of people traveling at home and abroad. The newly reported cases, confirmed or suspected, serve as a reminder that the battle against infections is far from over. – The Daily Mail-Global Times News exchange item
