China is said to be susceptible to the dreaded Ebola virus as experts claimed on Thursday that the influx of Chinese working in the affected regions of West Africa is too high.

According to the co-discoverer of the virus, Belgian microbiologist Peter Piot, airport screenings are of no bearing to the virus as he pressed that they are ineffective. He also talked about the slow response of the World Health Organization in his latest statement in a forum in Beijing that aimed to tackle the disease.

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China has been expanding in Africa for economic-related purposes and Piot said: "Thousands and thousands of Chinese workers and people are in Africa now. So it is not impossible that one of them will go (back) to China. I am more concerned about that than about Africans going to China."

Piot further discussed the growing concerns regarding quality care in public hospitals in China, noting that people can't be stopped from travelling and so Chinese, who possibly have contracted the virus, might be all over the place making China all the more vulnerable.

This is in reference to the statement released by foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei when asked about what China's preventive measure are against the epidemic. The spokesman said that they have enhanced the screening of body temperatures of people entering China, further stating that due to their heightened prevention preparations, no citizen has tested positive for Ebola.

Piot added that it is believed the epidemic will slow down by Christmas but added that WHO and other countries like China should still help in the fight against it, noting that "one person is enough to refuel, reignite an epidemic".

Piot discovered the disease in 1976 while in Zaire or the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is also the director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. 

Tagssusceptible of Ebola outbreak, influx of Chinese workers, West Africa, airport screening not effective, Peter Piot, outbreak, Virus, WHO, health care, airport screenings