Fighting all ailments, together

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of artemisinin, a drug that helped China eliminate malaria. Ever since Chinese scientists led by Tu Youyou successfully extracted artemisinin, China has generously promoted it around the world.

President Xi Jinping pointed out in his congratulatory letter to a forum held on March 25 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of artemisinin that by discovering and promoting artemisinin China has made an important contribution to global malaria prevention and treatment and the protection of human health.

Experts say artemisinin is an effective drug, has few side effects, is cheap and its use has helped save many lives all the way from Asia to Africa, and Europe to America. Since 2000, the World Health Organization has made artemisinin the preferred anti-malarial drug. Incomplete WHO statistics suggest artemisinin has saved millions of lives worldwide and helps treat hundreds of millions of patients every year.

By the end of 2021, China had trained tens of thousands of people in the use of the drug in developing countries, built malaria prevention and control centers in 30 countries, and sent 28,000 medical workers to 72 developing countries. Artemisinin is a proof of China’s commitment to work with other developing countries to build a global community of health for all.

Just as it did with artemisinin, China is once again extending a helping hand as the world grapples with the greatest pandemic outbreak in a century. China has sent hundreds of billions of pieces of anti-pandemic goods to 153 countries and 15 international organizations, and 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 120 countries and international organizations, making important contributions to bridge the “immunization gap”.

It is another proof of China standing alongside the rest of the world in times of difficulty. The only way to defeat the virus is to build a global community of health for all. The Chinese people have always stood together with the people of other countries, and China’s gift to the world goes far beyond artemisinin.