President Xi Jinping proposed the Health Silk Road initiative when he made a speech at the Legislative Chamber of the Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan in 2016. The Chinese government and the WHO signed a memorandum of understanding in 2017 to jointly implement a Belt and Road Initiative that focuses on health, with one of its priorities strengthening cooperation in the prevention and control of key infectious diseases.

The prevention and control of mycosis is closely related to people’s health in countries along the Belt and Road. The number of people affected by superficial mycosis is close to 1 billion worldwide, creating a great demand for diagnosis and treatment. The mortality rate of deep mycosis is 40% to 60% and treatment costs are high. Due to limited medical and scientific research conditions in some countries along the Belt and Road, the epidemiological characteristics of mycosis is not clear and there is no reliable data to guide medication. Moreover, new fungal pathogens continue to emerge in countries along the Belt and Road, posing a considerable threat to economic and political activities in the region. It is imperative to have joint research into prevention and control of mycosis by China and countries along the Belt and Road, a work that to some extent lags behind. China and related countries have not yet built an established cooperation model and network in this field. Therefore, joint early warning, prevention and control of potential outbreaks of highly pathogenic mycosis cannot be carried out. This project will survey the level of development of the pathogenic fungi biobank in countries along the Belt and Road, and propose, based on survey results, biobank development strategies for China and countries along the Belt and Road. The project will study the R&D capabilities and current transnational cooperation related to mycosis, put forward suggestions for development of a joint laboratory based on the findings, and propose a development strategy for adaptive mycosis prevention and control technology in China and countries along the Belt and Road.