Construction of a public health emergency headquarters began on Wednesday in east China's commercial hub Shanghai.

The municipal health bureau said the headquarters will be built inside the Shanghai Municipal Disease Prevention and Control Center and will occupy an area of 3,000 square meters.

The bureau said the headquarters will be completed and commissioned in 2007, but did not disclose the cost of the investment.

The headquarters, when completed, will serve as a general platform to plan and control all medical aid and rescue operations for emergency public health incidents in Shanghai.

It will also collect information related to the metropolis' public health emergencies and provide data and analysis for policymaking, the bureau said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2006)