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Notice on prevention and control of major spring and summer infectious diseases

Updated: Jun 17,2014 11:17 AM     nhfpc.gov.cn

National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) Disease Control Letter No 273, 2014

Health and family planning departments in provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention:

Recently, hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) cases saw a significant increase. Cholera and dengue can easily run wild during the spring and summer, and there are still risks of malaria and Ebola hemorrhagic fever reaching the country from abroad. Prevention and control work faces grim prospects. In order to further strengthen the focus on prevention and control of infectious diseases in spring and summer and to protect public health, the following are required:

1. Pay attention to the prevention and control of infectious diseases in spring and summer

Health and family planning administrative departments at all levels should keep public health in mind; focus on prevention and control of infectious diseases in spring and summer; be aware of the overall situation, responsibilities and risks; study and predict regional infectious disease development; formulate practical prevention and control plans; and make early deployments. Administrative departments should follow local government guidance, enhance internal communication and coordination, improve inter-departmental information sharing and the joint prevention and control mechanism, work with quality inspection and commercial departments to manage infectious diseases among migrant workers, assist education departments in preventing and controlling infectious diseases at schools and kindergartens, and urge agricultural departments to nip the source of anthropozoonosis in the bud.

2. Enhance monitoring and epidemic treatment

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at all levels should improve the data quality of the statuary infectious diseases reporting network; enhance epidemic information collection, analysis and utilization; and strengthen supervision of key border and rural areas, educational facilities and migrant population gathering places. CDC in border areas should pay close attention to the development of major epidemic situations in neighboring countries, enhance active surveillance on dengue and malaria, and make timely evaluation on importing risks. Once infectious diseases break out, CDC at all levels should immediately carry out investigation work, collect laboratory samples, properly take care of close contacts with major infectious diseases (such as cholera), and effectively conduct disinfection treatment in epidemic spots and zones. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention should make regular epidemic analysis, strengthen technical guidance and support to major provinces, and prepare for disease outbreak site disposal.

3. Earnestly do diagnostic report and treatment work

The medical and healthcare institutions at various levels should strictly implement the infectious disease preview and triage system in accordance with relevant law provisions on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, carefully make registration reports on infectious diseases and enhance the control of hospital infectious, strengthen disease diagnosis and treatment, and strengthen skills of medical staff (especially those at the primary care level) in recognizing symptoms of major infectious disease, such as Ebola hemorrhagic fevers and fevers with thrombocytopenia syndrome. When receiving patients with symptoms such as fever and hemorrhage, medical staff should pay attention to epidemiology history to find and report suspicious cases in time. In areas where there are a high numbers of severe cases of HFMD, medical staff at the grassroots level should be trained for diagnosing the disease and offering timely transfer treatment to maximize recovery.

4. Vigorously carry out patriotic health campaign

All regions should strengthen vector prevention and control work on the basis of the monthly themed patriotic health activities; carry out national urban and rural environmental sanitation actions; intensify environmental health regulations; promptly eliminate sanitation blind spots; remove garbage and sewage pits; eliminate mosquito breeding sites; renovate rural toilets; conduct treatment of feces; take care of sanitation in the family, the community, primary and secondary schools, and childcare facilities; and cut off transmission routes for infectious diseases such as cholera, HFMD, dengue and other insect-borne diseases.

5. Strengthen health education and risk communication

Health and family planning administrative departments at various levels should focus on prevention and control of infectious diseases in spring and summer as an important part of the health literacy promotion project; publicize health knowledge on major infectious diseases in spring and summer; help the public, especially the rural people develop good health habits; and improve self-protection awareness and abilities. The departments should issue timely, accurate and objective information on disease prevention and control, enhance collection and respond to public opinion, and clarify false rumors in time to maintain social stability.

Health and family planning administrative departments at various levels should clarify regional, departmental, unit and individual responsibilities in key infectious disease prevention and control work in spring and summer, and carry out evaluations on prevention and control in time to ensure all work is well implemented and yields actual benefits. The National Health and Family Planning Commission will conduct on-site supervision and guidance on prevention and control work at major districts at an appropriate time, acquire good experience and practices, and criticize slack prevention and control work that results in the spread of diseases.

General Office, National Health and Family Planning Commission

April 4, 2014