The China Animal Disease Control Center (CADC) opened in Beijing on Friday, in an effort to upgrade scientific research on animal disease control.

The CADC is affiliated to the Veterinary Bureau of the Agriculture Ministry, which is responsible for the prevention, control and treatment of animal diseases in China.

Yin Chengjie, Vice Minister of Agriculture, said at the inauguration ceremony that the operation of the CADC marks a great improvement in China's reform on veterinary management and the development of its animal disease control technology.

According to Yin, China has established a complete state-level animal disease control system composed of the Veterinary Bureau of the Agriculture Ministry, the CADC, China Institute of Veterinary Drug Control and four branches of the China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center.

Zhang Zhongqiu, dean of the CADC, said the center is capable of diagnosing 64 kinds of animal diseases, including foot-and-mouth.

About 645,000 epidemic observers from villages across China have registered with the CADC to provide the center with timely reports from any corner of the country, said Zhang.

The spread of infectious diseases among animals, especially bird flu across the world, has exerted great pressure on China's weak veterinary management system. China's State Council issued a circular in May last year, urging the acceleration of national veterinary management reform.

Officials with the Ministry of Agriculture told Xinhua that currently the central-level reform of the veterinary system is to end soon, and the next target will be local governments. By the end of last month, 19 provinces had submitted their reform plans on local veterinary systems to the central government.

(Xinhua News Agency June 17, 2006)