Birth defect prevention

CHINA’S National Health Commission has released a five-year plan aimed at more efficient prevention and control of birth defects and reducing the incidence of birth defect-related fatalities and disabilities.

According to the plan, the rate of prenatal screening in China is expected to reach at least 90% by 2027, while the mortality rates of infants and children under 5 due to birth defects will be below 0.1% and 0.11%, respectively.

The plan also called for improvement in preventing and treating major birth defects such as severe congenital heart disease, Down Syndrome, and thalassemia major.

Cultural tourism

THE cultural tourism market in East China’s metropolis of Shanghai witnessed rapid growth in the first half of this year, surging in terms of traffic and revenue, data from local authorities shows.

In the first six months, Shanghai received more than 139 million domestic visitors, generating tourism revenue of more than 155 billion yuan (US$21.56 billion). Both mark a year-on-year growth of over 100%, according to the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.

Tourists banned

TWO tourists were banned from visiting the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding for their life time after they fed pandas without permission, according to a notice released on its official WeChat account Sunday.

A man surnamed Han, 39, threw bamboo shoots to baby giant pandas while visiting the base Saturday. Another woman surnamed Liang, 51, tried to feed peanuts to pandas on the same day. The base’s workers stopped them and promptly cleared the debris from the outdoor activity area.