Medical experts at a hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, have shared their knowledge and experience in fighting novel coronavirus pneumonia with their counterparts in Italy, and called for greater international cooperation to curtail the contagion's global spread.

"Combating the virus is the common task of all humankind, and we must intensify the sharing of knowledge to cope with it," Wang Daowen, director of Tongji Hospital's cardiovascular department, said after a video conference with Italian counterparts on the night of March 4.

"We have more experience in fighting novel coronavirus pneumonia, and it is our obligation to share it with other countries, many of which do not have much knowledge on how to treat seriously ill patients with the disease."

Italy has reported that 3,089 people had tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of 6:00 pm on March 4.

During the online video conference, which lasted for more than an hour, Wang and his colleagues from Tongji Hospital and doctors from Niguarda Hospital, a top hospital in Milan, Italy, that has admitted more than 200 COVID-19 patients, discussed a wide range of topics. They included control and prevention of the virus, diagnosis and treatment and protection for medical workers.

The Chinese doctors shared their experience in fighting the virus in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic in China, including effective isolation and quarantine of patients and suspected cases, cutting virus transmission routes by appealing to the public to wear face masks outside and to stay indoors as much as possible, and taking measures to protect medical workers from infection.

While the epidemic is gradually coming under control in China with arduous efforts — including in Wuhan, where the daily total of new cases dropped to 131 on March 4 from a peak of nearly 4,000 in mid-February — the epidemic is rising in many other countries, including Italy.

Zhou Ning, an associate professor of cardiovascular diseases at Tongji Hospital, warned during the online discussion of the outbreak expanding in Italy.

Doctors who have fought the disease for over two months in Wuhan have the most experience in saving seriously ill patients, Zhou said. "We will continue to intensify international cooperation to make more contributions to the prevention and control of the disease globally."

Enrico Ammirati, a critical diseases expert at Niguarda Hospital, said during the discussion that the public in Milan is still not well prepared, and medical materials such as masks and protective suits are lacking.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a news conference earlier this week that China will intensify international cooperation in fighting the epidemic to safeguard global public health, such as keeping in close contact with countries affected by the epidemic and sharing experience in epidemic prevention and control.

Wang, from Tongji Hospital, said that although progress has been made in fighting novel coronavirus in Wuhan, people should not underestimate the risks of the virus, as much remains unknown about it.

No effective drug or vaccine is available, and it is very important to provide good care for patients with milder cases so they do not become seriously ill, which can result in multiple organ failure, he said.