China's leading online healthcare platform DXY announced on Monday it is establishing a "China Influenza Prevention and Service Cloud Center" to leverage internet tools and big data technology for influenza prevention and control.

Under direction from the Bureau of Disease Prevention and Control under the National Health Commission, the center has support from leading healthcare facilities such as the Chinese Disease Control and Prevention Center, the National Respiratory Clinical Research Center and the respiratory infection clinical diagnosis and research center at Capital Medical University, DXY said.

Data analysis co-conducted by the Chinese CDC and DXY revealed there is a positive correlation between the flu epidemic and doctors' research and learning behaviors online, providing a new idea for the prevention of influenza according to Qi Xiaopeng, deputy director of the global public health center of the Chinese CDC.

Data analysis also showed specific online research and learning behavior modes of doctors with varying expertise levels, in different disease departments and levels of hospitals during an influenza epidemic, which provides guidance for precise information service and educational tools to doctors.

With internet tools and big data technology used to analyze activity on DXY's medical academic and patient education platforms, the center aims to make surveillance of influenza more timely, comprehensive and accurate as a complement to the national infectious disease surveillance system, said Li Tiantian, founder of DXY.

The center also aims to empower doctors with advanced diagnosis and treatment knowledge, and strengthen cooperation among medical facilities as well.