The world of Tzu Chi June 2020 (Vol.123)

TZU CHI 123 19 health concern in the underdeveloped continent. The epidemic spread uncontrollably across the West African nation of Sierra Leone, compounded by a general lack of hygiene awareness and prevalent poverty. Therefore, Tzu Chi USA volunteers have been extending assistance to the locals of the impoverished republic through various medical programmes since 2015, followed by the consolidation of humanitarian aid efforts through the signing of a letter of intent between Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital Superintendent, Dr. Lin Shinn-zong and Dr. Thomas A. Massaquoi from the Sierra Leone 34th Military Hospital on June 11, 2017. Both parties agreed to work together on cross-country exchanges across multiple aspects of healthcare, including the treatment of emerging infectious diseases, training of medical personnel and clinical research. “When a novel contagion occurs, how are we able to help Africa? What is our role? This is one of the goals of Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Centre,” Dr. Lin stressed. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa had resulted in large numbers of casualties and deaths and even nearly emerged as one of the most worrying public health crises identified by the WHO after SARS. Nevertheless, the unprecedented rate at which the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic escalated has exceeded other epidemics, alerting mankind to the importance of public health policies and the necessity of developing new drugs and vaccines. In August 2018, Dr. Foday Sahr, the Minister of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone, embarked on a 13,000-km journey to Hualien, Taiwan with three Ebola survivors to contribute to the development of the Ebola vaccine. One of the survivors, Victoria recounted, “Tzu Chi volunteers visited me at home, prepared meals for me and accompanied me onmy trips home.”Victoria is Sierra Leone’s first Ebola survivor. She is now married with a son. “The volunteers helped me to survive the disease. I’m glad to be able to participate in the research project. I feel obligated to help my fellow compatriots,” she affirmed. The innovation and research centre of Tzu Chi Medical Foundation, along with the research department, immunogenetics and virology laboratories of Hualien Tzu Chi Medical Centre, engaged in an exchange programme with the Sierra Leonean medical team to share their expertise. Knowledge of medical science is the foundation of vaccine development and research strategies, guided by the non-profit operating principle. The first phase of this project is hoped to be a stepping stone that enables the Tzu Chi medical research team to contribute to global epidemic prevention efforts. Prof. Dr. Huang Shun-ping, director of the TCU Office of Research and Development; Dr. Cheng Wen- chi, head of TCU’s Industry-University Collaboration Innovation Team; and Prof. Dr. Lin Guang-huey from the Department of Microbiology led a supporting team of lab assistants and students from various fields of medicine. [Photograph by Li Jia-yi] Are We Ready for the New Normal?