China spared from Ebola: officials

No Chinese medical worker dispatched to the Ebola-ridden regions, or Chinese citizens inside and outside China have contracted Ebola so far, China's public health authorities said at a press conference on Monday.

But the Ebola threat remains as China has seen increasing exchanges with African countries, said Wang Wenjie, deputy director-general for health emergency response office under National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Chinese medical staff who worked with Ebola patients in West Africa will be placed under a 21-day quarantine upon returning to China, said He Qinghua, deputy director for the disease control bureau under the commission.

China also pays close attention to people from Ebola-ridden areas by screening those who suffer from Ebola-related symptoms such as fever, he said. Meanwhile, China-developed PCR diagnostic kits to test for Ebola have been recognized by a World Health Organization network laboratory, said He.

But the anti-Ebola drug jk-05 developed by the Chinese military has yet to be approved, said Wang. The Chinese government has provided emergency humanitarian relief worth 750 million yuan ($123 million).

The World Health Organization has reported 13,567 Ebola cases in eight affected countries since the outbreak began, with 4,951 reported deaths as of October 21.