China has shown that it is more and more aware of the interdependence of health and security, said a WHO official in his written message for the World Health Day which falls on April 7.

Dr Henk Bekedam, WHO Representative in China, said in the written message that this year's World Health Day theme (International Health Security) is an important reminder that many health threats do not respect national borders and that all countries are partners in the fight for international health security.

Emerging communicable diseases such as SARS and avian influenza have brought home the very real threats to international security that health problems can pose. Other threats to international health security include infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, bioterrorism, humanitarian emergencies, environmental damage and food safety, he said.

"For China and the rest of the world, SARS was a wake-up call. In recent years China has made genuine progress in strengthening its capacity to deal with health security threats", he said.

China has been building its communicable diseases capacity and is continuing to develop effective systems for communicable disease prevention, detection and response. China has been advancing the fight against avian influenza by sharing viruses and information with the international community. It has also made great progress responding to communicable threats like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, he said.

"But health security challenges remain for all countries," Bekedam said.

One of the key measures for managing communicable diseases is improving animal husbandry practices and implementing local and national systems for surveillance and rapid response, he said.

China has shown enormous commitment to strengthening international health security. "We are sure it will continue to do so in the future. In that way, China will greatly advance global public health," Bekedam said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2007)