True Love Knot - Most Effective Weapon for Fighting SARS

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 25, 2003

True Love Knot - Most Effective Weapon for Fighting SARS

Love and warmth are quickly disseminating and spreading. With warmth and love, a true love knot woven with one heart and one mind by the people of the whole country, the day of victory is drawing near.

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Up to 20:00 pm April 23, the virus of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) had taken away the lives of 110 Chinese. Altogether 2,422 people were infected, with 1,278 suspected cases. In Beijing, 774 cases (143 cases related to medical workers) had been discovered, with 39 cases of death and 863 cases of suspected disease.

This is a war without the smoke and sound of guns. When Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, without wearing any guauze masks, appeared on the frontline of countering virus, when head nurse Ye Xin with the Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine fell at the work post to which she had dedicated half of her life, when scientific research workers were weeping together in order to find out the culprit of SARS, when Guangdong's photographer Wang Xiaoming was infected as he tried to find out the truth, and when the first patient infected with SARS was discharged from the Beijing You'an Hospital, people were shedding tears-the virus was shocking to the people for its ferocity and cruelty. Human beings continue to forge ahead with their tenacious efforts.

Science can beat back the serious disease, while unity is the strongest force that thoroughly defeats the disease.

Party and government leadership: Personal presence in the frontline, squarely facing SARS

On April 14, in the Guangdong Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Center, Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, stood up and made a deep bow to the medical workers fighting on the frontline. "We feel heartrending when we see that the health and safety of the lives of some masses are facing serious threat", said President Hu.

At around 10:30 am, on the commercial street of Beijing Road in Guangzhou, someone suddenly shouted "President Hu Jintao", then people saw a familiar image standing before them, and the president kept waving greetings to the people around. It is said that Hu Jintao, after investigating the Guangdong Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Center, without giving any notice in advance, came directly to observe the busiest commercial street of Beijing Road in Guangzhou.

Prof. Zhang Tongxin with the Party History Department of Renmin University of China, said: under the present circumstance wherein the epidemic situation has not been removed and many people are still wearing gauze masks, Hu as the highest State leader, who personally went to Guangdong to inspect the downtown area under the circumstance without taking any protective and security measures, has set an example featuring the style of "cordiality and affection" for the people.

Earlier on the afternoon of April 12, Premier Wen Jiabao who had left his footprints in "1,800 counties and districts nationwide" appeared in the Beijing You'an Hospital, a hospital specially accepting and treating SARS patients. On April 18, Premier Wen again went in succession to the Beijing June 1 Kindergarten, the Beijing 101 Middle School, a primary school attached to Peking University and the Beijing Aerospace University to express his best regards for the teachers and students there. "A responsible government must always put the interests of the people in the first place," said Wen Jiabao. A media organization published a report entitled "Facing SARS Squarely" on Premier Wen's personal presence in the Beijing You'an Hospital.

Beijing is a severely SARS-affected area, the Beijing municipal Party committee and the municipal government have the health and safety of the Beijing people at heart. On the morning of April 21, Liu Qi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the Beijing municipal Party committee, and deputy secretary of the Beijing municipal Party committee Wang Qishan went to the Beijing First-aid Center, the Chaoyang District Disease Prevention and Control Center and the Beijing Disease Prevention and Control Center to check up on the situation regarding implementation of SARS prevention and treatment work.

Over the past few days, other leaders of the Beijing municipal Party committee and other related departments have also checked up on the situation regarding implementation of SARS prevention and treatment work. "With the solicitude of the leaders, we'll certainly be able to defeat the virus!" said Beijing residents with excitement.

Beijing is allocating one thousand beds used for SARS patients, patients of suspected disease and patients kept for observation; hospitals concerned have set up makeshift establishments equipped with several hundred beds and tried everything possible to ensure sufficient reserved hospital beds, the city has specially assigned 152 personnel to coordinate and inspect work in 147 hospitals, and it has purchased additional necessary medical equipment.

Doctors and nurses: They are entrusted with care for people's health and lives

Before they entered the medical realm, each medical worker had made the solemn pledge: Entrusted with the care for the health and lives of the people, I am determined to do my best to deliver humankind out of painful diseases, help people get perfect health and safeguard the sacredness and honor of skilled medical personnel.. Rescuing the dying and healing the wounded, I will not shrink from toil and hardships but I will persist in my pursuit.

At the time of the occurrence of the September 11 attack when every one was rushing downstairs to flee for their lives, there was only a group of people who went upstairs-they were the fire fighters; when the war against SARS, a war without the smoke and sound of gun, broke out, it was the medical workers who are entrusted with care for the safety of lives were the first to charge to the frontline. Head nurse Ye Xin of the Guangdong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, affected with SARS virus, fell on the frontline of battle against SARS, when other doctors and nurses got close to her to check her lung and phlegm, she wrote on a paper with difficulty these words: "Don't get close to me, my disease is infectious."

After the Changxindian Hospital in Fengtai District, Beijing city, was designated as a hospital specially for accepting and treating SARS patients, nurse Hao Yanmei, in her "request for a battle assignment" written to the hospital Party branch committee, she resolutely demanded to plunge herself into the frontline of fighting against SARS.

Dr. Jiang Rongmeng of Ditan Hospital, after working hard continuously for 24 hours in rescuing patients, he lacked the physical strength even to open the cover of the spring water bottle.

The wife of reporter Li Keyong with the Xinhua News Agency is a doctor of People's Hospital under Peking University, she formally became one of five doctors of this hospital to specially treat SARS patients, she was so busy and so tired that sometimes she couldn't help weeping, but she had to keep her tears off. Li Keyong thought: As long as there is a group of people like her battling on the frontline, there is hope for us to defeat the SARS disease.

Seeing the medical workers' fearless and selfless spirit of dedication, people express their deep respects for them.

Scientific research workers: Working day in and day out, making concerted efforts to tackle difficult problems

In compliance with the requirements of the Party Central Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission, the Microbial Epidemic Disease Research Institute under the Military Academy of Medical Sciences and the Beijing Genome Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have launched the work of research on SARS and tackling difficult technical problems. On February 12, the Military Academy of Medical Sciences sent out assistants to directors of institute, epidemiologists and virologists to Guangdong's epidemic areas to collect samples. Because several institutions simultaneously launched studies on etiology, while the samples collected were limited, whether or not the collection of samples can be completed bears on the success or failure of the research on etiology and all the more on the health of the masses of people.

While sending out people to take samples, the academy of medical sciences also stepped up the formulation of a research action program: It set up a special leading group and an experts group composed of 13 authoritative scholars; it organized a research contingent based mainly on the microbial detecting center and with the participation of several departments which carries out multi-faceted research.

In an effort to produce results as soon as possible, researchers sometimes work for as long as over 16 hours a day. Finally, researchers on the frontline scored major achievements after working hard days and nights; they separated etiology from SARS-a new coronavirus, completing the whole genome detecting procedure of coronavirus. And developing a quick detecting technology for SARS-a new reagent. These achievements have provided a relatively accurate, reliable, quick and economical diagnostic means for the prevention and treatment of SARS, thus laying a foundation for the production of vaccine and medicine.

While inspecting the Military Academy of Medical Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences on April 20, President Hu Jintao said, "At such a crucial moment, the numerous scientific research workers thought of what was on the minds of the Party Central Committee and were anxious about the needs of fighting the disease and did things to meet the needs of the masses; with a high sense of responsibility for the people and a rigorous scientific attitude, they have been working days and nights, engaged in stubborn struggle, made concerted efforts to tackle difficult problems, had done huge amounts of painstaking and meticulous research work, and reaped valuable fruits, all this is of important significance to defeating atypical pneumonia. The Party and government thank you, the people are grateful to you."

Masses of the people: Helping one another to tide over the difficulties

Artist Zhao Bandi, at the crucial moment when people of the whole country are fighting against SARS, presented his latest work of art-a plane advertisement with "fighting SARS and defending our homeland" as the theme. The advertising picture shows Zhao Bandi and his closest partner "Panda" wearing large gauze masks, an indicator of the "SARS period". In an environmental setting similar to street fighting, arms in hands, they meet the "invisible "enemy" head-on.

Zhao said, "I choose a battle scene, because I feel that the current resistance to SARS is like a war with the participation of the whole nation. I am an artist, but I am all the more a special social worker, in my own way I express my sense of responsibility to the society.

In the face of the serious disease, people, with one heart and one mind, have begun a war involving the whole nation.

The Beijing Mobile Co. Ltd. has donated 1 million yuan for research on the prevention and treatment of SARS, the Beijing medicine supply department and medicine Co. Ltd. have stepped up purchase and production of various kinds of medical equipment and drugs.

In addition, Beijing has opened a special network for direct report on the SARS epidemic situation; established a rescue and aid mechanism for SARS patients; set ceiling prices for commodities and services related to the prevention of SARS; power supply companies guarantee stable and reliable electricity for six hospitals designated for accepting and treating SARS patients; the Beijing leading group in charge of the prevention and treatment of SARS recently opened a telephone consulting system, which answer related questions round the clock.

Beijing also conducted sterilization of some public utilities and public traffic departments

Love and warmth are quickly disseminating and spreading. With warmth and love, a true love knot woven with one heart and one mind by the people of the whole country, the day of victory is drawing near.

By People's Daily Online

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