Shanghai sets up institutions to boost public health response

SHANGHAI -- Shanghai has set up two institutions to boost its public health response and epidemic prevention and control capacities, local authorities said.

The Shanghai Institute of Major Infectious Disease and Biosafety and the Shanghai key laboratory of infectious diseases and biosafety emergency response were jointly established by the Shanghai municipal government and Fudan University.

Shanghai announced a guideline in July to establish an institute for major infectious disease and biosafety, with the aim to significantly improve its biosafety emergency management and abilities to achieve scientific breakthroughs by 2025.

The institute will build a professional knowledge-sharing platform of relevant health issues and offer talent, technical support as well as policy recommendations to the local and the country's public health system.

The institute has already been contributing to Shanghai's COVID-19 prevention and control and key scientific projects, according to local authorities.

The new laboratory will be based in Huashan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University. It will focus on scientific research on health emergency response and clinic application of innovative academic outcomes.