BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese experts called for global cooperation to prevent and control flu outbreaks at the 2019 World Flu Day Campaign and Academic Conference held in Beijing Friday.
According to the World Health Organization, around 5 percent to 10 percent of adults and 20 percent to 30 percent of children around the world catch the flu every year, among which about 290,000 to 650,000 people die from the flu.
"No country can fight against influenza on its own," said Li Bin, deputy director of the National Health Commission (NHC), at the opening ceremony under the theme of "Know Flu, Prevent Flu and Beat Flu."
Under the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese National Influenza Center (CNIC) provides technical training to ASEAN countries every year, according to Wang Dayan, who is in charge of the national flu center of the CNIC National Institute for Viral Disease Prevention and Control.
"The CNIC has conducted laboratory testing training of H7N9, an avian influenza virus, for six countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia and Mongolian representatives," said Wang.
Countries need to reach consensus to prevent and control influenza to benefit global public health, first and foremost, said Peter Bogner, president of the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID).
According to data from GISAID, the number of viruses China shared with the world via GISAID is growing, which indicates China's growing confidence in influenza data sharing, Bogner said.
More than 800 representatives from the NHC, China Association for Science and Technology and some international organizations held in-depth discussions on topics such as the global influenza strategy at the conference.
