Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is an independent agency of the National Health Commission, based in Beijing, China. Established in 1983, it works to protect public health and safety by providing information to enhance health decisions, and to promote health through partnerships with provincial health departments and other organizations. The CCDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease prevention and control, environmental health, occupational safety and health, health promotion, prevention and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the People's Republic of China.
George F. Gao is the current director general. He has made contributions to the study of inter-species pathogen transmission. He organized the first World Flu Day on 1 November 2018, commemorating the centenary of the Spanish flu. It was also the 15-year commemoration of the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, which led to China prioritising investment in the public health system.
The CCDC administers a number of laboratories across China, including the biosafety level 2 facility at the Wuhan Centre for Disease Control ; which received global media coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic for its research into SARS-like coronaviruses of bat origin.
