Top medical experts and officials from 17 developing countries in Asia, America and Africa have gathered recently at China's Hunan Province for the first international training class on human avian influenza, or bird flu prevention held in China.

The programme is organised by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce as an important part of China's aid to developing countries. CRI's Yao Yongmei has more.

The training programme will last 40 days, during which the participants will discuss and consult with their Chinese counterparts on China’s success and achievements in fighting against the disease. Special sections will also be held in Hunan Provincial Children's Hospital to introduce their professional practice and treatment procedures, as the first person to survive a case of bird flu in China was treated here.

Zhu Yimin, the president of Hunan Provincial Children’s Hospital, explains why such a programme is being carried out now.
 
“Global trends tell us bird flu cases mostly occur in Southeast Asian and developing countries. Meanwhile, winter and spring are critical periods for bird flu outbreaks. The programme is also part of medical cooperation among professionals from developing countries.”

In October 2005, the hospital received the country’s first human bird flu patient. After 20 days of timely and appropriate treatment, he was given a clean bill of health following medical checks. The hospital also confirmed the ten-year-old patient’s bodily functions were all normal and the disease had not affected the boy’s growth. Four months later, a six-year-old child was saved by the hospital. Both of these two successful received positive coverage around the world.

Zhu Lihui is the manager responsible for this training programme. She says all the experience and skills that the hospital has gained are going to be shared with the class.

“We use three different teaching methods in the class. The first is lectures, in which we’ll be talking about prevention, treatment and procedures to follow in dealing with the disease. Secondly, the class will be assigned to do clinical practice with new techniques and also read case reports. Meanwhile, we will arrange for people from different countries to communicate with each other about their own public health systems.”

Phone Davann, a student in the training class from Laos, says she enjoys the programme.

“We are very happy to attend this course. Time is so short that we have many many experiences to share, which will be very helpful to our work.”

According to the World Health Organisation, avian influenza remains a major threat to global public health. Its high fatality rate has drawn worldwide public attention.

Yao Yongmei, CRI News.