BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A national monitoring network for fungal diseases has been launched in Beijing to improve the disease treatment capability and the clinical application of related drugs at health institutions across China.

Formally unveiled Friday, the network consists of a national center at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) and 31 provincial-level monitoring centers. The number of institutions under the network's coverage reached 717 as of Oct. 16.

According to PUMCH, stepping up the epidemiological and drug resistance surveillance of fungi is key to improving clinical anti-infection treatment and containing fungal drug resistance.