China will put into operation a national disease reporting database
on the forthcoming New Year's day, the newspaper "Health News"
reported Tuesday.
With the system in service, China will be able to make weekly
reports about epidemic diseases that go rampant in certain areas of
the country, publish analytical reports and forecast about
development trend of epidemic diseases, and provide government
departments with reference materials in their decision making,
according to the newspaper.
For a long time, reporting about situation of epidemic diseases
across the country were done once a month via mails of manual
charts. And when natural disasters took place, reporting by phone
was chosen as the main form to air the situation of epidemic
diseases in the concerned areas.
The national disease reporting database cost about 400 million yuan
(about US$48.2 million) and was finished in three years.
While inviting specialists to design software for the new database,
the Chinese Ministry of Health has also organized technical
training courses to train qualified administrative personnel for
different areas.
Success has been achieved in trial operations in a dozen Chinese
provinces and municipalities, said the newspaper.
(Xinhua Mews
Agency December 26, 2001)