Wang Hesheng led a delegation to sign the first MOU with Korea to collaborate on infectious disease management

From April 17 to 26, 2024, Hesheng Wang, Vice Minister of the National Health Commission of the PRC and Director of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, led a delegation to visit Germany, Finland and the Republic of Korea.

During the visit, Hesheng Wang met with Thomas Stephan, State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health (Germany); Park Min-Soo, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare (Korea); Jee Young-mee, Director of the Korea Disease Management Agency Commissioner; Tuula Helander, Director of the Biotechnology and Medicines Unit at the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health; and Chikwe Ihekweazu, public health physician and the World Health Organization's Assistant Director-General for Health Emergency Intelligence and Surveillance Systems. Hesheng Wang introduced the basic status of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, the progress of the high-quality development of the disease control, and the prevention and control of China's COVID-19 epidemic. He also had in-depth exchanges with the foreign side on the prevention and control of infectious diseases and global health governance. The foreign side expressed appreciation for the effectiveness of China's prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic. They said it is in the common interest of all parties to do a good job of preventing and controlling infectious diseases, and they are willing to deepen cooperation with China in related areas.

The delegation visited the World Health Organization (WHO) Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence, the Robert Koch Institute (Germany), Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the Emergency Command Center of the Korea Disease Management Agency Commissioner, as well as primary medical and health care institutions in Germany and Finland. The delegation exchanged views on the supporting role of scientific research on disease prevention and control, monitoring and assessment of public health emergencies, synergy and integration of treatment and prevention.

During the visit to Korea, Hesheng Wang and Jee Young-mee a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation on infectious disease preparedness and response, which is the first MOU between National Disease Control and Prevention Administration and a foreign party after the establishment of NCDC.