On April 16, 2024, the Fudan Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) organized the 11th lecture of the Fudan-Arab Lecture Series. Professor Xiaochun Wang from the School of Public Health at Fudan University delivered a lecture titled “Global Health Security and China-African Public Health Cooperation.” The lecture was hosted by Professor Yijia Jing, the Dean of the IGPP, with Xin Ye, assistant professor of IGPP and Yiqing Gan, assistant professor of Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences, serving as the commentator

Professor Wang provided an overview of the history of pandemics and pointed out that despite a significant reduction in infectious disease mortality, global efforts to prevent and control emerging infectious diseases continue to face challenges. He highlighted that data on newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases over the past 60 years demonstrate the close relationship between domestic and global health in the context of diseases transcending national boundaries, emphasizing the need for countries to prioritize global health security. Drawing from his own work experiences in Africa, he shared frontline observations and prospects regarding the disease burden in Africa, the development of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, and Sino-African public health cooperation.

During the commentary and Q&A session, Dr. Ye and Dr. Gan engaged in discussions with Professor Wang on the relationship between social inequalities, underdevelopment, global health security, and global health governance. Faculty members and students actively participated in a lively discussion on global health cooperation practices involving the engagement of businesses and NGOs in the research, development, and supply of vaccines for infectious diseases.