Cobb & Douglas Public Health (CDPH) recently hosted Jilin Department of Health and the Jilin Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Center officials from China at the Marietta Public Health Center. The discussion included best practices, guiding frameworks and trends impacting the monitoring, reporting and prevention of communicable diseases and infection disease outbreaks such as Zika and Ebola.
The 20-member delegation from Jilin, a province in northeast China bordering North Korea and Russia, was led by Chunguang Yang, Deputy Director General of the Jilin Provincial Department of Health. The delegation was invited by the Center for Sustainable Development and Policy (CSDP) at UC Davis to promote dialogue and educational programs that build capacity for sustainable development and effective government.
Welcomed by District Health Director Dr. Jack Kennedy, the delegation from Jilin heard from department directors at Cobb & Douglas Public Health, including epidemiology, environmental health, and emergency preparedness & response. During their visit, Jilin officials were given a detailed presentation on an introduction to CDPH and how the health department monitors and reports communicable diseases in the counties, including a case study overview of the 2016-2017 Zika response.
“Even with the geographic and language differences, comparing our public health challenges and experiences will help the Jilin Department of Health, the Jilin Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control and CDPH deal effectively with risks posed by emerging infectious diseases as we pursue international cooperation and regional economic growth” said Lisa Crossman, Deputy Director for CDPH. “As demonstrated with the Ebola and Zika virus outbreaks in the past, an infectious disease has the potential to cross international borders quickly via routine travel,” said Crossman.
Prior to their visit at Cobb & Douglas Public Health, the Jilin delegation met with Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) lab in Decatur and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
About Cobb & Douglas Public Health
Cobb & Douglas Public Health, along with the Georgia Department of Public Health, has been committed to the mission of “Healthier Lives. Healthier Community.” since 1920. We are dedicated to improving our residents’ quality of life by tracking and preventing the spread of disease, promoting health and safety, providing exceptional medical services, and ensuring that our community is prepared for public health emergencies. For more information, visit www.cobbanddouglaspublichealth.org.