Xinhuanet, Beijing, November 15 (Reporter Yang Xiaohong) Jia Youling, China's Chief National Veterinary Officer and Director of the Veterinary Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture, said on the 15th that bird flu is a global epidemic and China will actively participate in international cooperation on bird flu.

When answering questions from netizens as a guest on People's Daily Online, Jia Youling said: "The avian influenza we face is global, so international cooperation is also very necessary."

He said that international organizations such as the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations all have good cooperation mechanisms with the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture actively participates in international cooperation and research meetings on avian influenza. Once an epidemic occurs, China will promptly notify Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and relevant international organizations, and truthfully announce the epidemic.

In addition, China and the World Health Organization have established a submission mechanism for avian influenza virus series, and the World Health Organization has also designated internationally renowned avian influenza reference laboratories and China's national reference laboratories for collaborative research. Once strains useful to humans are screened out, China's avian influenza reference laboratory will provide the strains for vaccine research.

At the same time, China provides technical and material assistance to neighboring countries with bird flu epidemics, providing vaccine testing equipment, protective clothing, and training. If the epidemic in neighboring countries can be controlled, it will also effectively help China's epidemic. (End)