German Health Delegation from Robert Koch Institute Visits China CDC

On June 21, 2024, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) welcomed a significant visit from a German delegation, including Professor Andreas Lutz Jansen, head of the International Health Protection Information Center at the Robert Koch Institute and Director of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) Collaboration Center, and Dr. Basel Karo, Co-Director of the same center. The session was attended by Prof. Li Qun, Deputy Director General of China CDC, and key representatives from the Office of Education and Training, International Cooperation Office, Center for Global Public Health, Public Health Emergency Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, and National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention.

 

Prof. Li Qun extended a warm welcome and expressed appreciation for the German experts' technical support during the GOARN Level 1.5 training previously hosted in Guangzhou. He highlighted the enduring collaborative relationship between the Robert Koch Institute and China CDC, emphasizing frequent interactions including high-level visits, joint expert missions to developing countries for epidemic control, and health emergency technology exchanges. Notably, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in 2016, and both institutions are currently preparing to renew this agreement to deepen pragmatic cooperation in disease control.

 

During the meeting, departments such as International Cooperation Office, Center for Global Public Health, Public Health Emergency Center, and Division of Infectious Diseases presented overviews of their operations, developments, involvement in GOARN, strategies for infectious disease prevention and control, health emergency responses, and global health initiatives. The German delegates outlined the evolution, functions, and current activities of the Robert Koch Institute, with a particular focus on the operations and global collaborations of its GOARN Collaboration Center. A lively discussion ensued, centering on expanding cooperative efforts in specified fields and methodologies.

 

In his concluding remarks, Prof. Li Qun reflected on the efficacy of the discussions and thanked the German experts for sharing the institute’s evolution from primarily a laboratory-based facility to a comprehensive national public health institution, as well as their extensive experience within the GOARN Collaboration Center. He expressed optimism that both sides, building on the successes of previous collaborations, would use the forthcoming renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding as a catalyst to formalize a detailed agenda for technical cooperation, ensuring effective implementation and enhanced collaborative efficiency.

Prior to the discussions, the German experts toured the National Influenza Center at National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention.

Group Photograph[Photo/chinacdc.cn]