Fighting Epidemics in Africa: A Hong Kong Immunologist's Testimony

"When SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) broke out in Hong Kong in 2003, many medical personnel were infected and the situation was dire. I once wanted to volunteer, but the people around me responded with objections and ridicule, and I never had the chance to offer my help. So I promised myself that if the world ever needed me again, I would step forward." – Edward Choi Man-lik. In 2015, Africa suffered the largest outbreak of Ebola in history. Edward Choi, an immunologist, kept his promise and went to Sierra Leone to become a frontline volunteer conducting tests on the virus. He never thought that this trip would become a turning point in his life. In the following days, not only did he help fight the epidemic, but also founded different charitable organizations to assist amputees affected by the civil war in the 1990s. In 2019, he even went to the dangerous Congo war zone to coordinate clinical trials of the Ebola vaccine. In this book, Choi describes his experiences over the past five years, which include not only disappointment, sadness, and anger, but also moments when the brilliance of human nature shine. These feelings are not only from the author, but also from the people living on this land in Africa. In a sense, Choi has also changed from a "giver" to a "receiver". The discussion of the meaning of life has become less abstract through these experiences. And all of this is written by the author with sincere and moving language, bringing hope and courage to readers.