From next week, all retail medicine shops in Beijing must report their sales of over-the-counter cold and flu medications to the Municipal Drug Administration on a weekly basis, reports Beijing Evening News.

The regulation will allow the disease control department to keep an eye on general public health in a bid to prevent the spread or outbreak of certain epidemics and infectious diseases in good time.

According to official statistics, the majority of citizens have become accustomed to buying cold and flu medicines at more than 2,000 retail drugstores around the city to treat light fevers or prevent colds. Therefore, the shops can serve as a monitor of the prevalence of diseases in society, experts say.

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