In brief
On Saturday, WHO opened a collaborating center in Guangzhou, China, aimed at building capacity in low‑ and middle‑income countries for sexually transmitted infection control. The center will train top professionals, develop point‑of‑care testing strategies and create standards for data collection, especially for Africa and Southeast Asia. WHO officials say the move will enhance global surveillance and evidence‑based guidelines while China remains a committed partner in multilateral medical cooperation.
The World Health Organization inaugurated its Collaborating Center for Sexually Transmitted Infection Prevention and Innovations on Saturday in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. The center is hosted by the Dermatology Hospital and the Institute for Global Health of Southern Medical University.
Yang Bin, director of the center, said the new facility will conduct systematic international cooperative research focused on capacity building, testing innovation, and surveillance system development.
The center will conduct systematic, forward‑looking international cooperative research focused on capacity building, testing innovation and application, and surveillance system development.Yang added that by 2030, the center plans to train 100 senior STI prevention and control professionals from 15 low‑ and middle‑income countries, prioritizing Africa and Southeast Asia.
In collaboration with national and international partners, the center will develop three to five practical, scalable strategies to optimize point‑of‑care testing and create standardized, easy‑to‑use data collection tools for STI surveillance. It will pilot verification and localized application in priority African countries and build an operational data integration and sharing platform that aligns with international systems.
Hannah Monica Dias of WHO said the center would “further deepen its engagement in developing relevant international guidelines, contribute more research evidence, support STI surveillance and capacity building across countries globally, and provide expert advice to support global public health governance.”
Only reported by Xinhua, the announcement added that China dispatched 1,061 medical personnel to 57 countries in 2025, providing services to more than 2.06 million patients. The country has supported malaria control efforts in Africa and Southeast Asia and has expanded cooperation with WHO under the China‑WHO Country Cooperation Strategy 2022‑2026, including piloting people‑centered integrated healthcare delivery systems in China and helping countries such as Cambodia and Laos advance their efforts to eliminate schistosomiasis.
