Chapter 81 80. Zhong Nanshan——A critical warrior against African heroes

Zhong Nanshan, male, Han nationality, was born in Xiamen City, Fujian Province in October 1936, a member of the Communist Party of China, and a family member of overseas Chinese.He is currently the director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases of Guangzhou Medical College, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, professor, and doctoral supervisor. He graduated from Beijing Medical College in 1960 and stayed on to teach there. In 1970, he went to Guangzhou Medical College to study. In 1979, he went to England for further studies. Returned to China in 1981. In 1984, he was awarded the title of the first batch of national experts with outstanding contributions. After 1985, he was designated as the central leading health care doctor, employed as a medical consultant of the World Health Organization, a special member of the International Chest Society, and a director of the Asia-Pacific Branch.In the same year, he served as a postgraduate tutor and was awarded the title of the first batch of national experts with outstanding contributions. In 1993, it was awarded by the Guangdong Provincial People's Government. In 1995, he served as a doctoral supervisor. In the same year, he was rated as a national advanced worker and won the National May 1st Labor Medal. In 1990, he was rated as an outstanding returnee in the national health system and was awarded by a government order. In 1992, he was awarded the title of Model Worker in the National Health System.Zhong Nanshan was elected as an academician of the Department of Medicine and Health Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in May 1996. He is the deputy director of the Department of Medicine and Health Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a famous expert in respiratory medicine. Since June 1998, he has been the deputy director of the Medical and Health Engineering Department of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The sudden atypical pneumonia pushed Zhong Nanshan to the forefront of a great battle. On January 21, 2003, Zhong Nanshan received a notice from the Provincial Department of Health and went to two hospitals in Zhongshan City to investigate a "strange disease". Just a month ago, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College where he works received a strange pneumonia patient sent from Heyuan City: persistent high fever, dry cough, and X-ray examination of the lungs showed "white lungs" (that is, double lungs) Pulmonary inflammation is diffusely exudative, with shadows occupying the entire lung).However, various antibiotics have been used to no avail.Two days later, news came from Heyuan: 8 medical staff who had treated the patient in the local hospital were all infected with the same symptoms as the patient.Zhong Nanshan was shocked!Extensive medical knowledge and years of medical practice told him that this is a special infectious disease worthy of attention.He immediately instructed to report the situation to the Guangzhou Yuexiu District Epidemic Prevention Station, and at the same time requested that certain protection and isolation work be done.

Then, Zhongshan City also reported a similar "strange disease" and the infection of medical staff. "It seems that the situation is getting more and more serious. The most urgent thing is to find out the crux of the disease and find ways to prevent and treat it." Combined with the treatment of patients received by the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, the expert team soon delivered an "Investigation Report on Pneumonia of Unknown Cause in Zhongshan City" involving the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease to the Guangdong Provincial Department of Health.The Department of Health immediately deployed the corresponding work, and Zhong Nanshan was ordered in the face of danger, and was appointed as the leader of the Guangdong Provincial SARS Medical Rescue Expert Steering Group.

The philosopher said: "The rumor stops with the wise." After the festival, the epidemic was deliberately exaggerated or made out of nothing by some people with ulterior motives, which had a very bad impact on society. As a member of the Communist Party, Zhong Nanshan knows the importance of social stability.To ensure social stability, we must speak with facts and allow patients to recover as soon as possible. Zhong Nanshan knew the difficulty and went up.He set up a research team composed of old, middle-aged and young respiratory experts with Xiao Zhenglun, Chen Rongchang, and Li Yimin as the backbone. He cooperated with the "SARS" medical treatment team in Guangdong Province to check the literature day and night, closely observe the changes of patients, and meticulously record all available medical records. research data.How many programs have been tried?No one can remember.Finally, they found a breakthrough: when the patient’s lung shadows continue to increase and blood oxygen monitoring decreases, timely use of non-invasive ventilation will increase the patient’s oxygen inhalation, which can better improve the patient’s symptoms; when the patient has high fever and pulmonary When the local inflammation is intensified, corticosteroids are given appropriately, ranging from 80 mg to 500 mg per day, which can effectively reduce the non-specific inflammation of the alveoli and prevent the fibrosis of the lungs; Targeted use of antibiotics.

Practice has proved that this is an effective treatment method, which greatly improves the successful rescue rate of critically ill patients, reduces the mortality rate, and significantly shortens the treatment time of patients.Two atypical pneumonia patients with diffuse effusion lesions in both lungs and life-threatening patients were rescued by the above methods, and a miracle happened.The good news was immediately reported to the Department of Health. The Department of Health immediately organized experts to discuss it. After revision and improvement, the "Guidelines for Hospital Admission and Treatment of SARS Patients in Guangdong Province" was issued to all cities, provincial and subordinate medical units.

On February 11, 2003, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Health held a press conference. Zhong Nanshan calmly told everyone with the profound knowledge of medical experts that atypical pneumonia is not terrible, and it is preventable, curable and controllable.He warned the society through the press not to panic, but to jointly fight against the provocation of the disease under the guidance of the government and the health department.At the same time, the Department of Health also notified that the health and epidemic prevention department in Guangdong has ruled out the possibility of bird flu, plague, anthrax and other diseases.Soon, social sentiment began to stabilize.

In this regard, the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government spoke highly of it: The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College played a leading role in the fight against SARS, and Zhong Nanshan contributed a lot! The word "pause" does not seem to exist in Zhong Nanshan's life dictionary. In mid-February 2003, under the initiative of Zhong Nanshan, Guangzhou Science and Technology Bureau, Guangzhou Respiratory Research Institute, First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Chest Hospital, Guangzhou Children's Hospital, Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention The joint research project of "Guangzhou SARS Epidemiology, Etiology and Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment" with the Department of Microbiology of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong was officially launched. On April 12, good news came out: Two strains of novel coronavirus were isolated from the tracheal secretions of patients with atypical pneumonia in Guangdong, indicating that a variant of the coronavirus is most likely the main cause of atypical pneumonia. On April 16, this result was officially confirmed by the World Health Organization.

At this moment, Zhong Nanshan looked very calm.He pointed out that SARS is a very new disease, and it will take time for human beings to completely overcome it.In the next step, in addition to further confirming whether the pathogens of atypical pneumonia occurring around the world belong to the same subtype of coronavirus, we also need to find drugs that can kill the pathogens, develop preventive vaccines, find out the source of infection, and so on.This requires cooperation in more regions and on a larger scale.Science requires a broad mind.He said that science knows no borders and international collaboration is indispensable.He also sincerely stated that since SARS was first discovered in Guangdong, and China has the most cases, and there are sufficient data and foundations for research, he especially hopes that the solution will be proposed by the Chinese in the end.

People believe that through great international cooperation, mankind will be able to conquer SARS.However, history will never forget the selfless, fearless and dedicated medical staff for the prevention and treatment of SARS, nor will it forget Zhong Nanshan, an outstanding representative of the Chinese medical community and a scientist at the forefront of the fight against SARS.