Experts call for stronger surveillance of respiratory diseases

Health experts called for strengthening multichannel surveillance of infectious respiratory diseases and enhancing cross-regional collaboration to address growing public health threats during the 2026 World Influenza Conference, held in Chengdu, Sichuan province, from Friday to Sunday.

Li Bin, president of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, said the simultaneous circulation of seasonal influenza, various zoonotic influenza strains and multiple respiratory viruses has placed a growing burden on global public health.

In response, China has established a nationwide network of more than 1,000 sentinel hospitals and laboratory facilities while steadily strengthening an integrated system covering disease surveillance and early warning, immunization and medical treatment.

Li called on countries to improve early warning systems, promote integrated prevention of multiple diseases, accelerate pharmaceutical innovation and deepen cross-border joint prevention and control efforts to help build a global community of health for all.

Wang Jianwei, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said a key feature of China's influenza surveillance system is its integration of data from sentinel hospital reports, laboratory testing, public reports and wastewater monitoring.

He said China will continue to share multidimensional surveillance data and its integrated disease prevention approaches with the international community to help other countries strengthen their capacity to respond to respiratory infectious diseases.

Shu Yuelong, president of the Asia Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza, said effectively managing the co-circulation of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, the novel coronavirus and other respiratory illnesses requires sustained interregional coordination, as well as joint efforts in surveillance, vaccination and treatment.

To ensure that innovative outcomes reach more countries, particularly those with limited resources, Amanda Williams, chief executive officer of the International Society for Respiratory Viruses, called for the establishment of a neutral and open international academic platform to facilitate the cross-border exchange of clinical trial data, genomic sequences and clinical evidence, and enable equitable access to advances in respiratory virus prevention and treatment worldwide.

The conference was jointly hosted by the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, the Asia Pacific Alliance for the Control of Influenza, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Nearly 750 experts, scholars and other participants from five continents attended the event.