Successful China-Kazakhstan Exchange Event on Plague and Zoonotic Infectious Disease Control Held in Xinjiang, China

From November 30 to December 2, 2023, Prof. Zauresh Zhumadilova, director of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health's National Scientific Center for Especially Dangerous Infections Diseases (Kazakhstan NSCEDI) leading a Kazakhstan NSCEDI delegation visited China at the invitation of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). This visit led to a successful joint event in China's Xinjiang, organized by the China CDC, National Institute for Communicable  Disease Control and Prevention (ICDC) of China CDC, the National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Disease, and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention of China (China’s Xinjiang CDC). The event, titled “China-Kazakhstan Exchange Activity on Plague and Zoonotic Infectious Disease Control” included the “China-Kazakhstan exchange meeting on applied research and surveillance of plague and other zoonotic infectious diseases” (hereinafter referred to as the “exchange meeting”), a on-the-spot investigation on plague focus, and a visit to China’s Xinjiang CDC.

 

This China-Kazakhstan exchange activity, conducted under the framework of China's “Belt and Road” Initiative and guided by the spirit of “Cooperation for mutual benefit and mutual learning”,  focused on in-depth discussions about the prevalence, monitoring, and applied research of plague and other zoonotic infectious diseases in both China and Kazakhstan. It forms part of China’s national key infectious diseases-focused research and development plan undertaken by ICDC, China CDC. Additionally, it's a significant component of Small Grant Project for International Exchanges in China 2023 hosted by Office of International Cooperation, China CDC. This event plays a vital and active role in promoting collaboration in disease control between Xinjiang, as a border province of China, and Central Asian countries, enhancing the capability of China’s Xinjiang CDC to prevent cross-border transmission of infectious diseases like plague effectively, and carry out international exchange and cooperation in public health.

 

During the exchange meeting, representatives from the Kazakhstan NSCEDI, China CDC’s ICDC, China's Xinjiang CDC, and China's Inner Mongolia CDC engaged in academic discussions on the surveillance and control of plague, anthrax, hemorrhagic fever, tularemia, brucellosis, and other zoonotic infectious diseases. Additionally, officials and experts from China’s Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan, Xizang and multiple sectors related to infectious disease prevention and control in Xinjiang, totaling over 60 participants, attended the event.

 

At the opening ceremony, Prof. Zauresh Zhumadilova expressed her gratitude for the platform provided by this event, emphasizing its importance for bilateral collaboration in monitoring and scientific research of plague and other zoonotic diseases. She hoped to strengthen cooperation with China, advance information sharing, and jointly promote disease control in both countries. Prof. Kan Biao, director of China CDC's ICDC encouraged joint efforts between Chinese and Kazakhstani experts in information sharing and coordinated prevention measures, contributing to scientific control and research collaborations for the well-being of both nations. Ms. Tang Mei, deputy director of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Health Commission, in her address, noted that the event would serve as a platform for deepening collaboration of both sides in the field of infectious diseases, and will continue to play a pivotal role in the “Belt and Road” initiative, deepening cooperation with Kazakhstan in disease prevention, scientific research, and personnel exchange, thereby fortifying the public health security of both countries.

 

This exchange event follows a series of earlier interactions, including the “Belt and Road” International Academic Conference on Plague Control 2018 in Harbin of Heilongjiang Province, China, the “Belt and Road” Western Border Countries Plague, Anthrax, and Brucellosis Joint Prevention and Control Seminar 2019 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia of China, the online “Belt and Road” Sino-Russian-Mongolian-Kazakh Plague Control Technical Workshop 2021, and the online Joint Investigation Seminar 2022 on Altai Mountain Plague Source Area among China, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. These interactions fostered in-depth offline exchanges between China and Kazakhstan in the field of plague and other zoonotic infectious disease control.