China and the World Health Organization said Monday they are
setting up a center to fight infectious diseases.
The center, scheduled to open Tuesday at the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention of Guangdong Province, will focus on
forecasting and monitoring of emerging infectious diseases as well
as training and research, WHO and the Ministry of Health said in a
statement.
"The center in Guangdong is a milestone in China's contribution
to global public health," vice minister of health Huang Jiefu was
quoted as saying. "It reflects our country's commitment to playing
a prominent role in this regard, at an especially critical moment
in public health history."
The center will become a training base in Guangdong and other
southern provinces of China and may expand to become a training
center for neighboring countries, the statement said.
"We know from SARS and avian influenza that what happens in one
country affects another," Dr Omi, WHO regional director for the
western pacific was quoted as saying. "China is helping WHO and the
world implement lessons learned from recent emerging infectious
diseases for the national, regional and global public health
good."
The center will also work with the Guangdong CDC laboratory to
detect emerging infectious diseases, including influenza, the
statement said.
The center will carry out epidemiological research and study the
origin of diseases that can be spread from animals, it said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 13, 2006)
