China will help Africa build disease facilities

China will assist the African Union in building its own centers for disease control and prevention, a move that is expected to greatly increase African nations' capacity to fight infectious diseases.

"We are very likely to help African countries build several CDCs," said Wang Liji, vice-director for international cooperation at the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

The African Union proposed building its own centers following the Ebola epidemic, which caused about 10,000 deaths in several West African countries after last year's outbreak, he said.