PLA Daily 2003-06-04

　 　A precipitate epidemic stormed China this spring.

　　In a short period of several months, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) diffused from Guangdong to Shanxi and Hebei provinces, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Beijing and Tianjin municipalities and other areas of China.

　　At this urgent moment, thousands of military medical workers, responding actively to the call given by the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, once again joined in and advanced to the forefront of the anti-SARS campaign.

　　Military medical workers to be the pioneer in the anti-SARS battle in Guangzhou, a city under the surprise attack by SARS

　　December 17, 2002, Guangzhou. Dr. Huang Wenjie, director of the department of respiratory illnesses with the General Hospital of the Guangzhou Military Area Command，received a patient with severe pneumonia. The patient came from Heyuan County of Guangdong Province, and upon his arriving his skin had turned purple-black and was at the death's door.

　　Huang and his colleagues tried their best to save the patient's life -- and they succeeded, at last.

　　Months later, the doctor learned that this was the military medical workers' first skirmish with SARS, and what's worse, before the patient came to Guangzhou, he had infected dozens of other people.

　　In this fierce battle against SARS, other military hospitals in Guangzhou were standing shoulder by shoulder with the General Hospital of the Guangzhou Military Area Command.

　　20:30, New Year's Eve. The General Hospital of the Air Force in Guangzhou received a phone call from the higher level telling that the Guangdong Provincial Health Department released a SARS situation notice and the hospital was asked to make full preparation for the treatment of SARS patients.

　　An emergency meeting was held immediately and effective measures were taken: More beds were added to the epidemic wards and nurses and doctors canceled their vacations and returned to their posts. Furthermore, a 24-hour emergency hotline was open to ensure that rapid action will be taken immediately after a report of any new SARS cases.

　　Thanks to the medical workers' efforts, the General Hospital of the Air Force in Guangzhou kept records totaling 0 death of hospitalized patients and 0 infection of medical workers.

　　On February 11, the Nanfang Hospital affiliated to the No.1 Military Medical University agreed to conduct autopsies on SARS victims. Experts there successfully identified the SARS virus as the "coronavirus."

　　On May 23, the World Health Organization lifted the travel warning to Guangzhou since the SARS situation had been well under control there. Military medical workers in Guangdong Province have implemented effective methods on SARS prevention and treatment such as the "six earlies" on SARS prevention, a combination of Chinese and western medicine to contain SARS as well as the experience to keep zero infection record, etc.. The medical workers nationwide have taken useful reference to their valuable experience, which has played a key role in the nation's campaign against SARS.

　　Beijing: Biggest epidemic hospital erected in one week

　　As SARS cases soared in the capital in April and May, military hospitals throughout the country were mobilized to help curb the highly infectious disease. Some 1,200 handpicked medical workers from the army and the Armed Police Force were sent to Beijing on April 25.

　　The next day, Chairman of the Central Military Commission Jiang Zemin expressed his confidence in combating SARS in a meeting with Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes.

　　The anti-SARS campaign spilled over to a cornfield in Xiaotangshan in Beijing's suburb, where a huge epidemic hospital was erected in just seven days.

　　On April 25, personnel of the preparatory group of the Health Department of the PLA General Logistics Department arrived at Xiaotangshan.

　　Some 390 types of western medicine and 76 varieties of traditional Chinese medicines were ordered. The Ordering Bureau of the PLA General Logistics Department procured enough medicine in two days even though these medicines had been in short supply since SARS outbreak. The Quartermaster Department produced more than 46,000 protective suits and used 300,000 meters of pledget to make surgical masks within three days. And the Communications Department of the General Staff Headquarters, in co-operation with the Information Center of the Health Department and the Headquarters of the General Logistics Department, opened more than 1,000 military phone lines for the hospital within one day.

　　The establishment of the Xiaotangshan Hospital is instrumental in helping Beijing contain the SARS epidemic.

　　Research makes headway in SARS crisis

　　February 12, 10:00 am: A map depicting the SARS infection rate in Guangdong Province was unfolded before leaders and experts of the Military Academy of Medical Science. Six military medical experts were subsequently appointed to lead a research group to decode the SARS genes. At 12:00 am, Cao Wuchun and Zhu Qinyu flew to Guangzhou to obtain a sample.

　　March 21: The Military Academy of Medical Science submitted a report to the Chinese Ministry of Health, noting that SARS is caused by the coronavirus.

　　April 9: The academy decided to work with the Beijing Genome Institute of the Chinese Academy of Science on decoding the SARS gene sequence. The result, released 36 hours later, made China the first country to map out the gene sequence for SARS in four variations.

　　April 16: An antibody experiment involving the SARS virus and human serum was carried out at the academy to diagnose a SARS patient in two hours with a 95 percent accuracy rate.

　 　April 19: The academy upgraded the SARS diagnosis method in co-operation with the Beijing Genome Institute. The new technique could test 96 blood samples simultaneously in just one hour.　Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the Microbe Epidemic Institute of the Military Academy of Medical Science to commend the researchers.

　　April 28: A SARS prevention drug was developed by the academy for clinical use.

　　May 7: Professor Xu Dezhong from the Fourth Military Medical University, entrusted by the PLA General Logistic Department, briefed the senior officers from the Central Military Commission and a PLA anti-SARS team on the conditions of SARS infections.

　　May 8: At the request of the Chinese Ministry of Health, military medical experts made an overall analysis specifying the trend, peak, location and infection group of the SARS outbreak in Beijing and around the country.

　　May 10: Professor Xu, representing the Chinese Ministry of Health, addressed to the world's media on the condition of the Chinese SARS outbreak.

　　"Helmet and Armor of science" shields medical staff from infection

　　As SARS raged through parts of China, more and more medical staff fell prey to the highly infectious virus. Researchers at the Hygiene Equipment Institute of the Military Academy of Medical Science undertook the responsibility of shielding medical workers from further infection by supplying upgraded protective gear.

　　The institute raised two million yuan in a short time to fund 10 projects.

　　A central temperature-monitoring system was developed by two young researchers to replace the outdated and dangerous method of using thermometers. By simply scanning the screen of the computer-controlled system, a doctor could measure the temperature of more than 1,000 patients.

　　This institute also developed a type of negative-insulation capsule, which could ensure medical　staff's　safety during SARS patient transfers.

　　Zhou Guotai, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, led another research team that oversaw the production of a series of protective garments. The new protective clothing spared the medical staff the trouble of working with four layers of isolation attire.

　　In addition, new types of disinfecting methods for vehicles, laundry systems and sewage systems were also introduced to cut off the sources of infection.

　　On May 13, the group for tackling hard-nut problems in science and technology of the national anti-SARS command announced that a breakthrough had been achieved: The protective equipment was adopted by clinics.

　　Communists are frontrunners in anti-SARS war

　　Members of the Communist Party of China took the lead in the fight against SARS setting a good example to the whole nation and inspiring its people to win the war against the deadly epidemic.

　　Jiang Suchun, a 74-year-old medical professor with the No 302 Hospital in Beijing, contracted the disease when treating SARS patients. But the professor continued his fight against SARS, injecting the serum of recovered patients into his own body in hopes of finding a cure.

　　Li Xiaohong, a doctor from the hospital of the Beijing Contigent of the Armed Police Force, is another fearless fighter in this unprecedented struggle. Li, 28, who succumbed to SARS on April 16, was the first medical worker of the army to die on the frontline.

　　Tang Yonghong, a nurse from the No. 302 Hospital, worked for 55 consecutive days refusing to fall behind the others in the anti-SARS war.

　　The struggle, however, is not over yet.

　　On May 6, the No. 302 Hospital held a ceremony for the recovered medical workers, welcoming them back to the frontline.

　　By Li Qingxuan, Liu Mingxue and Wu Tianmin

　　(June 3, PLA Daily)