JUBA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Medical
experts sent by the Chinese government to South Sudan had advised the
east African country to strengthen the battle against the COVID-19
pandemic. At the conclusion of their
nine-day mission to South Sudan, the Chinese medics produced a report,
which provided an in-depth analysis of South Sudan's coronavirus
situation. The report released in
Juba on Thursday reveals that South Sudan's COVID-19 response has
deficiencies in the areas of emergency command system, community
investigation, epidemic monitoring, infection prevention, clinical
treatment, laboratory testing, health education, among others. The report also finds that there is lack of public attention to the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. The
report recommends the government to undertake reforms in the area of
testing, control, treatment, epidemiological investigation and awareness
creation. The report also calls for
strengthening of treatment and management of COVID-19 patients and
asymptomatic cases by setting up centralized isolation and treatment
centers across South Sudan. It
further recommends enforcement of strict preventive measures in public
spaces like schools and religious institutions before the government
could lift a four-month ban on social gatherings. South
Sudan only admits critically ill coronavirus patients at the Infectious
Disease Unit (IDU) as asymptomatic patients are allowed to self-isolate
in their homes. Liang Chaozhao,
head of the Chinese medical expert team, said the report was compiled
following days of extensive face-to-face interactions with South
Sudanese government officials, humanitarian organizations and South
Sudanese health experts. The Chinese
medics also visited public places such as health facilities, markets
and the Juba International Airport to assess control and prevention
measures put in place by authorities. "South
Sudan needs to raise the awareness of epidemic prevention and control
to fully realize the long-term nature of prevention and control new
pneumonia and implement external defense," Liang said. Speaking
at the launch of the report, spokesperson of South Sudan's Ministry of
Health Thou Loi, said the findings and recommendations of the Chinese
medical experts would enhance the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic
in the country. "We are doing a lot
with the Chinese and we will be looking forward to doing more with the
Chinese in the health sector and areas of international public concern,"
Loi said. Loi said the South
Sudanese medics will continue to engage their Chinese counterparts
whenever they need assistance and experience sharing. "We
will be looking forward to more interactions with the Chinese medical
experts so that we develop a resilient health sector for the people of
South Sudan," Loi added. The eight-member team from China's Anhui Province arrived in South Sudan on Aug. 19 and they stayed until Aug. 27. The
team consisted of experts in the medical fields including laboratory
technology, infection, intensive care, public health, and nursing. During
their nine-day mission, the Chinese medics shared knowledge and
experience with senior South Sudanese government officials, local health
experts, medical institutions and also trained South Sudanese medical
staff on COVID-19 response. South
Sudan confirmed its first COVID-19 case on April 5. The total number has
since risen to 2,519, with 47 deaths and 1,294 recoveries as of
Thursday. Enditem
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