LatAm children express support for virus-hit China

   MEXICO CITY, Feb. 13-- Children and teenagers from across Latin America have expressed their support for China and its people as they grapple with an outbreak of novel coronavirus disease officially named by the World Health Organization (WHO) as COVID-19.
   With colored pencils and paper, youngsters drew messages of solidarity and encouragement for the Chinese people, especially those in Wuhan, capital of the central Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak.
   "Chin up, China!" and "China, yes you can!" are among the messages posted on social media by kids and teenagers from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
   Argentinian Luca Vittori, 11, drew a team of doctors under the banner: "Our real superheroes," paying tribute to all the Chinese people on the frontlines of the fight to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus to prevent it from developing into a global pandemic, something China has successfully done.
   Luca, a resident in Buenos Aires, said he was inspired by a news photo of a group of doctors taking the necessary precautions to attend to patients infected with the virus.
   Angie, a five-year-old Bolivian girl, drew numerous hearts for her Chinese peers, as well as cheerful scenes of fully recovered patients being discharged from hospital.
   Brazilian Melanie Wendy, 9, cheered the Chinese people on in Portuguese: "Everyone united against the coronavirus."
   Ten-year-old Aillyn Iza from Quito wrote "#StayStrongChina, you will overcome, our hearts are with you."
   In El Salvador, Valeria Castellano, 13, and her brother Javier, 11, drew a heart, a panda and a bird, accompanied by the words: "China, you can do it."
   Valeria said she was confident that the Chinese people will prevail, "as they always do."
   Honduran Giselle Alvarez, 8, drew a little Chinese boy wearing a face mask to prevent possible infection, while in Mexico City, Shanti Itze, 7, wrote "China, you can do it, you are invincible and cool. You can beat the virus."
   Peruvian teenager Lorenzo used online translation tools to express his support for China in Mandarin.
   Five-year-old Filippa from Uruguay drew herself walking hand-in-hand with a panda under a rainbow.
   Filippa said she is sure that China will defeat the virus, and that one day she will be able to travel to China, make Chinese friends and see her favorite animal, the panda, in person.
   China continues to battle the coronavirus outbreak with decisive and speedy measures that have largely succeeded in preventing its rapid spread, according to the WHO. Xinhua