China CDC delegation takes part in the 17th Korea-Japan-China forum and joint symposium for communicable disease control and prevention

The 17th Korea-Japan-China Forum and Joint Symposium for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention was held in Seoul, South Korea on Dec 4 and 5, gathering about 60 experts from China, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia.

 

Prof. Shen Hongbing, director general of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), said that this was the first in-person tripartite meeting after the outbreak of the COVID-19. The face-to-face exchanges will definitely further strengthen the partnership between the disease prevention and control agencies of the three countries, he added. 

 

According to Shen, the participation of representatives from Mongolia will help explore and promote a new cooperation model of "China, Japan and South Korea plus X" in the field of infectious disease prevention and control.

 

Dr. Youngmee Jee, commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), mentioned that in early 2020 when COVID-19 emerged, the three agencies including KDCA, China CDC and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) Japan promptly established a hotline for exchanging information and data. She believed that the tripartite cooperative efforts played a crucial role in the successful response to COVID-19 in the region, serving as a remarkable example of regional collaboration. 

 

Jee hoped that the insights and discussions shared in the meeting will boost the developing and implementing best policies for the common public health priorities of the three countries.

 

Dr. Takaji Wakita, director-general of NIID, said that during the difficult situation in the COVID-19 pandemic, the friendship and ties among KDCA, China CDC and NIID have remained strong. The three institutes have openly shared information, and exchanged views online in addition to the annual conference which has been very encouraging. 

 

As there are still threats from infectious diseases, Wakita believed that by continuing to deepening the collaborative relations between the three institutes, we will be able to overcome various challenges and see the stable life. 

 

During the event, experts from the China CDC had discussions with their counterparts from Japan and South Korea on various topics, including "pandemic preparedness and response", "AMR control", "tick and vector borne disease prevention and control", "respiratory diseases", "measles elimination" and "TB control and prevention". Participants unanimously stated that they will learn from each other, and develop projects together to maintain health and safety of the three countries .

 

After the meeting, the China CDC delegation also visited the Emergency Operation Center and the National Biobank of the KDCA.