US 'virus hunter' who helped fight SARS to join coronavirus battle

A man known as one of the world's leading "virus hunters" has arrived in China to assist efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

W. Ian Lipkin, a professor of epidemiology and director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, is headed to the epidemic-stricken area in China, according to the Columbia Global Centers in Beijing on Tuesday. The virus has been traced to a market in Wuhan, in Central China's Hubei province.

It is the second time that Lipkin has been invited by the Chinese government to participate in such efforts.

At the height of the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in 2003, he was invited by senior Chinese scientists and officials to assess the state of the epidemic, identify gaps in science, and develop a strategy for containing the virus and curtailing infections and deaths.

Based on the evidence so far, Lipkin said in an article updated Tuesday on Columbia University's website that the novel coronavirus is not expected to spread to the same extent as SARS, which reached 33 countries.

"We do, however, need to prepare for the possibility that this could evolve into a larger outbreak and become a pandemic," he said.

Lipkin has been on the front lines of numerous outbreaks, from Ebola to the West Nile virus.

In past years, he has worked closely with scientists and officials in China to strengthen the public health system and protect people from infectious disease outbreaks.

After the SARS outbreak was contained, Lipkin helped develop the institutional infrastructure to ensure China would have the resources to detect and more rapidly respond to emerging infectious threats, in part through building the Institute Pasteur in Shanghai, new national Centers for Disease Control in Beijing, and the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health.

Today, he continues to consult with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Science, and the Ministry of Health in China.

Earlier this month, Lipkin was awarded a medal by the Chinese Consulate General in New York for his contributions.

"I will cherish it as a reminder of my dear friends and colleagues in China and all we have accomplished together for the health of the Chinese people and all people around the world," Lipkin said.