CRI听力: China Calls for Joint Efforts in Battling H1N1

China has called for joint efforts from the international community in battling the spread of H1N1 influenza at the International Scientific Symposium on Influenza A Pandemic Response and Preparedness, which kicked off Friday in Beijing.

Shuang Feng has more.

Reporter:

The symposium was hosted by China's Ministry of Health with the support of the World Health Organization and the Lancet.(www.hXen.com)

Health Minister Chen Zhu said the risk of an H1N1 influenza pandemic in China will increase as the country enters its winter and spring flu season.

He urged the whole world to work closely to prevent the flu's spread.

"Each country should place equal importance to the international obligation of preventing the spread of the pandemic. We need to further strengthen the global influenza pandemic information sharing platform system with efforts to promptly share epidemic information. We should strengthen cooperation in research and development of vaccines and new drugs."

Chen also stressed the need to help developing countries increase their capacity to deal with the spread of the H1N1 influenza. He said countries should coordinate with respect to different domestic situations in different countries.

World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan expressed her appreciation towards the international community's openness and generosity in sharing information as she addressed the symposium via video.

She also urged governments to prepare for a likely second wave of swine flu cases, cautioning they will face tough decisions on how to dispense vaccines.

"As the winter season progresses, we also need to prepare for a second or even a third wave of spread, as typically seen in past pandemics. We cannot say for certain whether the worst is over or the worst is yet to come. Above all, we need to be prepared for whatever surprises this capricious new virus delivers next."

The two-day event attracted nearly 1,000 officials and experts from more than 30 countries and regions.

About 1,800 people have died since the virus first surfaced in April, according to the latest update the WHO issued this week. The vast majority of those deaths have been recorded in the Americas.

Shuang Feng, CRI news.