Surgeon puts own health in danger caring for Guinea's Ebola patients

Cao Guang, a surgeon from Beijing's Anzhen Hospital, treated a patient last year in Conakry, the capital of Guinea, who was later confirmed as the first Ebola patient in the capital.

Cao was a member of the 23rd medical team sent from China to aid Guinea and he spent two years working in the country.

In March 2014, he experienced some of the most difficult times in his life as a result of his close contact with the deadly Ebola virus.

"This patient left a deep impression on me" Cao said. "He was okay the first day when he was in the ward, but his condition deteriorated rapidly the next morning.

"He moved restlessly and lost consciousness. I examined his pupils and found that the whites of his left eye had disappeared, leaving the eye blood-red. Even more haunting was the needle hole on his buttocks that had begun oozing blood like a spring."

The case drew attention but nobody in the hospital realized how close death was.

Due to a lack of proper disinfectant measures, six Guinea medical workers became infected and died, and Cao was quarantined for 21 days.

"When the team leader informed me of the quarantine, I had already realized the possibility. But to tell you the truth, I didn't want to admit it. I felt I was trapped and helpless, but it was clear that I had to accept the situation." Cao said.

"He must have been very nervous at the time since he was the only Chinese person to have direct contact with that patient," said one of Cao's colleagues.

Another colleague added, "The medical team was very concerned about him. We tried to comfort and encourage him every time we saw him. Cao must have been under great pressure, but he didn't let it show. He always gave us a smile."

Asked to comment on his 21-day quarantine, Cao simply said, "It was okay."

"I just hung out in the room or took exercise like walking when there was nobody nearby."

Although Cao talks about the experience in a casual manner, team leader Kong Qingyu, who knows Cao well, said, "I could see his tension and stress. Under his smile, I knew he had a strong desire to live and see his family again."

In a video chat with his wife from quarantine, Cao showed her how much he ate per meal. Cao told her, "The other team members are happy when I eat this much. If I can eat a lot, it means I am okay, and they are relieved."

Cao survived the tough times and returned to work shortly after his release.

During his two-year stay, Cao conducted more than 200 surgeries on Guinean patients and said he couldn't remember how many patients he had diagnosed.

Conakry was often hit by power outages, sometimes up to 400 times in a single day. Cao said he once performed an appendix resection by the light of an electric torch.

Conducting operations, diagnosing outpatients and going out into the field for consultations, regardless of any difficulties, Cao always performed his duty as a doctor.

zhaoqian@chinadaily.com.cn