WHO flu center to be set in China

Beijing - The National Influenza Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has been designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, making China the first developing country to house such an institution.

Under the coordination of the World Health Organization, the center in China is now to join four others - those in Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States - in monitoring, researching and responding to outbreaks of influenza, as well as making plans to combat pandemics.

"This designation reflects the country's exceptional contribution to the global fight against influenza," said Dr Shin Young-soo, World Health Organization regional director for the Western Pacific, speaking in Beijing on Monday at a ceremony to celebrate the designation.