May 30 - Deputy Director General of  Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention Professor Quanyi Wang said that the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has been providing necessary guidance and support to tackle the Chronic Kidney Diseases of Unknown Etiology  (CKDU) since 2015.

Professor Wang was making a presentation on ‘The Chinese project investigating the causes of CKDu and its research progress during the  CKDU knowledge sharing and collaboration workshop held at the Joint Research and Demonstration Center in Peradeniya recently.

The National Institute of Kidney Diseases and  Urology (NIKDU) organized the workshop in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

He said that various government departments and institutions have been provided support by the Chinese government in tackling the Chronic Kidney Disease which is  prevailing in some parts of Sri Lanka.  

The CDC has been providing crucial support to Sri Lankan departments and various institutions,  which are conducting research on the cause of CKDu in Sri Lanka since 2015.

He said that his institution has provided expertise and water purification techniques to Sri Lanka to address CKDu in some parts of the country effectively.

Professor Wang  added that the Chinese Academy of Sciences sponsored a training program for Sri Lankan medical practitioners to tackle the CKDU prevalence in Sri Lanka.

Dr Yawei Wang of CAS highlighted the assistance provided by the institution in tackling kidney disease in Sri Lanka. He emphasized that the Chinese Academy of Sciences has consistently extended support to Sri Lankan scholars in acquiring expertise in this field.  

Dr Wang added that CAS focused on capacity building of Sri Lankan institutions to face this challenge. AS part of Chinese cooperation, Sri Lanka received a fully furnished hospital dedicated for treatment of CKDUs and JRDC to ensure  that people in all parts of the country receive high quality potable water.

Lakshmi Somatunga, the Additional Secretary for Public Health Services at the Ministry of Health, stated that the prevalence of kidney disease in the agricultural regions of Sri Lanka's dry zone has been greatly reduced  through the distribution of purified drinking water to the residents in those areas.

The implementation of cutting-edge water treatment systems, based on research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and supported by the Chinese government, has successfully decreased the incidence of CKD in the region.  

Somatunga emphasized the critical nature of kidney disease in Sri Lanka, particularly its impact on agricultural regions.

Professor Gang Li, Professor Suxia Wang, Dr Palitha Bandara   JRDC Director S K Weragoda were present