Infectious diseases

With the widely spread of infectious SARS, AIDS and avian flu, etc., it is currently a big problem of public health, caused by emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases which affecting social economy development in countries cross the world. The prevalence of emerging infectious diseases outbreaks almost occur every year in the worldwide, which threatens the people's health, life safety and ecosystems. In this area, China and the UK share a mutual interest in tackling infectious diseases issue.

Given that a good collaboration relationship between scientists from both UK and China in the area of infectious disease, both UK and Chinese Governments have taken a proactive attitude to encourage and strengthen the collaboration and adapted a series of measures.

Renewed a MOU between Department of Health, UK (DoH) and Ministry of Health, China (MoH) 2007, infectious disease as one of four major areas for both sides to collaboration
Building Public in Health Innovation
Establish a Healthcare Dialogue, which establishes a pattern of annual bilateral high level official meetings. Prevention and treatment of infectious disease and non-infectious diseases as one of 4 priority areas to collaboration
Signed a MOU between Medical Research Council (MRC) and Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (BMSTC); getting supports from both MRC and BMSTC on researches on infectious diseases such as hepatitis, SARS and HIV.
Taking a Focal Point Scheme, with other 6 UK experts, Dr Xiaoning Xu was appointed by Office of Science and Innovation (OSI) as a focal point for the UK/China focal point scheme in the area of infectious diseases. He has not only kept closely work relations with Foreign & Commenwealth Office (FCO) Science and Innovation Network (SIN) in China to carry out and develop the scheme, but also keeps close partnership with Chinese government counterparts, such as China National Center for Biotechnology Development (CNCBD) , Chinese Acdemic of Science (CAS), local government science and technology committee.