Major infectious diseases, major chronic diseases, maternal and child health, mental health, environmental health and behavioral health are all focuses of the Chinese Health and Well-being Strategy till 2020, the Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu told the fifth Sino-US Symposium on Medicine in the 21st Century.

The symposium opened in the city yesterday and Minister Chen said that the success of the strategy would be seen in life expectancy, infant mortality and maternal mortality and the control of communicable diseases and chronic non-communicable diseases.

Improved accessibility to health services and the development of the bio-medicine industry were also key factors.

Plans are already in place to adopt the strategy. Other keys to improving China's health include the prevention and control of liver diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and schistosomiasis (snail fever), metabolic syndrome and cancer.

The strategy also highlights mental health with an accent on the young and the elderly.

According to the China Psychology Association, 30 million adolescents in China are suffering mental health problems. Among those with mental disorders, up to 32 percent are students from middle schools and primary schools, and up to 25.4 percent are college students.

Surveys in places like Shanghai, Shandong and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region show sometimes up to 30 percent of students have behavioral problems.

The plans go on to cover unhealthy life styles which affect more than 70 percent of the populace in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and aging - the number of people above 65 in China will exceed 200 million in 2027.

Chen discussed China's achievements in health care including its Internet reporting for communicable diseases.

(Shanghai Daily October 14, 2007)