WHO Western Pacific Regional Emergency Director Gina Samaan Visits China CDC

On the morning of February 5, 2026, Dr. Gina Samaan, Regional Emergency Director for the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region, led a delegation to visit the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) for technical exchanges in the field of public health emergency response. Relevant department heads and experts from China CDC participated in the discussions.

During the meeting, Dr. Samaan provided a comprehensive overview of emergency health work in the Western Pacific Region and the functions of WHO. She also highlighted China’s practical achievements in supporting the implementation of the International Health Regulations, promoting the development of global alert and response networks, shortening the international reporting time for public health emergencies, and strengthening influenza pandemic surveillance and emergency medical team capacities. She praised China CDC for its significant contributions and expressed her expectation to further deepen collaboration with the Center in this field.

China CDC experts briefed the delegation on the development of China’s public health emergency system, shared experiences from the Center’s earthquake relief efforts in Myanmar, presented the operation of China’s Field Epidemiology Training Program, and outlined progress in collaboration with WHO on open-source epidemic information sharing.

Following the presentations, both sides engaged in practical and in-depth discussions on the topics mentioned and explored directions for future cooperation.