CDC journal called key pandemic platform

A year-old weekly journal published by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has become an important academic platform for China to share new information about the novel coronavirus with the world, the head of the China CDC said.

"We have been actively sharing the latest information about the virus since the epidemic started," said Gao Fu, also editor-in-chief of China CDC Weekly. "Over the past year, more than 60 articles have been published in the journal on COVID-19, including timely reports on domestic and international anti-epidemic practices, in-depth epidemiological analyses and major breakthroughs discovered on China's disease control front line."

The creation of the weekly, published in English, is also a result of China-US public health cooperation, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided support for the journal's launch on Nov 29, 2019, he said.

Since the beginning of this year, the journal has focused on reporting the latest information on COVID-19 for academic circles and the general public in China and abroad, Gao said.

Tan Feng, the journal's executive editor, said some of the research published over the past year has involved breakthrough discoveries.

On Jan 21, the pathogenic characteristics of COVID-19 were reported for the first time, and the entire genome sequences of the initial three viral strains were published by the journal, providing valuable information on the new virus to researchers across the world.

On Jan 22, the epidemiological survey results of the initial epidemic in Wuhan, Hubei province, were reported for the first time, which was of significant value in formulating COVID-19 control and prevention strategies, Tan said.

National cooperation

The weekly has worked with CDCs at all levels across China to report the genetic sequences from local infections that have emerged nationwide. It was the first to report the material-to-human transmission that led to COVID-19 infections of many people working in cold-chain transportation in the port city of Qingdao, Shandong province, she said.

The research, published in October, provided proof that packages of imported cold-chain seafood contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 could lead to transmission of the virus to humans. Researchers from the China CDC isolated live novel coronavirus from such packages while tracing an outbreak in Qingdao in October.

Following the discovery, customs and border authorities across China intensified inspection of imported cold-chain food and related goods to prevent the importation of SARSCoV-2, given that local transmission of the virus has been mostly halted. Importation of the virus via travelers or goods now poses the biggest challenge for COVID-19 prevention and control in China.

The weekly has also covered many other topics relating to health over the past year, such as information on AIDS, tuberculosis and the flu. Tan said that according to the Google Search Console data, 237 countries and regions have recorded visits to weekly.chinacdc.cn－the journal's website.

The journal has worked with the World Health Organization's office in China to compile and publish China's COVID-19 prevention and control plans and technical guidelines to contribute to the global response to the disease.

On Jan 21, the journal started its Tracking the Epidemic column on its website. The column has had over 300 updates, drawing consistent readership from China and abroad, and has acted as an authoritative Chinese source of information on COVID-19, Tan said.

To promote international cooperative efforts, more than 10 notable global health leaders and researchers have also published information in the journal, including Tom Frieden, former director of the US CDC, Anthony Fauci, director of US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Andrea Ammon, director of the European CDC, said Gao of the China CDC.

"We hope to intensify international cooperation and exchanges, including with the US CDC, to develop China CDC Weekly into an authoritative source of information for public health to contribute to global public health cooperation," he said.