The Ebola virus can kill up to 90 percent of those who contract it, though the fatality rate in the current epidemic is about 60 percent. Epidemics, like food scandals and terror attacks, can quickly spread panic among the people. Media reports, online postings and films such as Outbreak and Contagion - based on pandemics with no cure or prevention - add to people's panic. And we should remember that the Spanish flu pandemic killed an estimated 50 million people in 1918.

But, the Youth Olympic Games will open on schedule, because China has taken all precautionary measures to deal with any eventuality. The job was not easy as it sounds. Over the years, China has built and fine-tuned its epidemic outbreak response and infection control systems. Measures, such as the bio-safety preparation for the Beijing Olympics, and the experience of fighting the SARS and bird flu pandemics have taught China how to deal with medical emergencies.

The most vital features of the response system are early detection, isolating cases (or quarantining them), tracing and monitoring contacts, and taking measures to contain an epidemic. For example, hospitals can alert public health departments at different levels against suspicious cases and inform them about the confirmed ones, says He Xiong, deputy director of the Beijing disease control and prevention center. Public health departments, in return, can provide updates on the cases and the overall situation, and devise or adjust a response strategy.

This coordination and collaboration mechanism was not fully developed even in Beijing before the SARS outbreak, He says. But now there is a national consensus that everyone should shoulder some responsibility to contain an epidemic outbreak. Government agencies, including the health, tourism, customs and transportation departments, now have a system in place to hold regular talks and set up cooperation mechanism in case of any outbreak of disease.

There is also provision to inform health departments at all levels of inbound flights from areas where an epidemic has broken out, so that they can check passengers for infection. And if any carriers are identified, quarantine authorities can swing into action, isolate the infected passengers and alert outbound travelers against the potential dangers of traveling to countries and regions battling an epidemic outbreak. In other words, China is prepared to deal with any medical emergency.

The author is a writer with China Daily. shanjuan@chinadaily.com.cn