Friday, September 19, 2014

How Much Can China Offer in Africa's Ebola Crisis?

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) published on 18 September 2014 an analysis titled "How Much Can China Offer in Africa's Ebola Crisis?" by Yanzhong Huang, senior fellow for global health at the CFR.

After praising China for the recent assistance it provided to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea to combat Ebola, the author took China to task for claims it is making about its ability to defeat Ebola.  In August, China surprised the world by announcing that it had successfully developed its first drug for treating Ebola.  In September, China said it had "mastered" the Ebola virus antibody gene, along with diagnostic reagents for the virus.  The author argued that given the lack of basic research, it is highly doubtful that China's first Ebola drug can be effective.