Unraveling SARS, bird flu viruses
9/11/2008 13:20
Cai Wenjun/Shanghai Daily news
Chinese medical experts
say they've made a discovery that may one day lead to patented treatments for
SARS and avian flu.
The announcement was made yesterday at an international
symposium on respiratory diseases held in Shanghai. Scientists also acknowledged
that the full development of medicines for severe acute respiratory syndrome and
bird flu are still a long way off.
The early stage research identified the
molecular structure of viruses responsible for the two diseases. The next step
is additional research, to be followed by animal tests and clinical studies. If
successful, the research could lead to medicines protected by Chinese
intellectual property rights.
More than 1,500 experts from home and abroad
participated in the symposium, which discussed the latest developments in
diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases. It also sounded a call to
battle against a deadly but highly preventable disease.
"Smoking control is
one of the most important tasks for doctors involved in pulmonary disease
prevention and control," said Dr Bai Chunxue, director of Zhongshan Hospital's
department of respiratory medicine and the symposium chairman.
Since
promoting a smoking control campaign in April, 58 local hospitals have set up
their special clinics or assigned doctors to help patients quit
smoking.
"Departments of respiratory medicine should be a leading model for
non-smoking departments in hospitals to raise awareness among medical staff,"
Bai said.
Starting next year, the hospitals will be asked to study every
patient's smoking history and encourage smokers to quit under the guidance of
doctors and smoking-cessation clinics. In addition, increased education will be
carried out in local schools and communities to discourage smoking, he
said.
There are 350 million smokers and 450 million people subjected to
passive smoking across the nation, putting them at risk for lung cancer and
heart disease.
"These diseases kill more than 2 million Chinese every year,"
Bai said. "About 70 to 80 percent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is
directly due to smoking," Bai said. "In addition, regular lung function tests
are also a good method for early detection of the diseases."
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