The development of disease control in China has reached a new level.

The State Council Press Office held a regular briefing on the State Council policy at 2 pm on Thursday, December 28th, 2023. Wang Hesheng, deputy director of the National Health and Wellness Commission and director of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, Zhuang Ning, deputy director of the Department of Physical Reform of the National Health and Wellness Commission, Zhang Guoxin, director of the Comprehensive Department of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, and Li Zhengmao, director of the Planning, Finance and Regulation Department of the National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention, were invited to introduce the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the High-quality Development of Disease Control and Prevention, and answer reporters.

[CCTV reporter from Central Radio and Television General Station]

Disease control is closely related to people’s health and well-being. What remarkable achievements have China made in disease control in recent years? What important role has this played in promoting people’s health? thank you

[Wang Hesheng, Deputy Director of the National Health and Wellness Commission and Director of the National Bureau of Disease Control]

Thank you for your question. Let me answer this question. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core, we have always adhered to the people-centered concept, improved the multi-sectoral cooperation mechanism, improved the ability of disease prevention and control, implemented comprehensive prevention and control measures for infectious diseases, and the development of disease control has reached a new level.

First, increase investment and improve the service conditions of the disease control system. The central and local governments have continuously improved the stable input mechanism for disease control. Since the "Fourteenth Five-Year Plan", the National Development and Reform Commission has actively optimized the investment structure in the central budget and arranged a total of 13.1 billion yuan to support the construction of disease control systems at the national, provincial, municipal and county levels. In 2023, the central government allocated 17.687 billion yuan for disease control projects through transfer payment for the prevention and control of major infectious diseases and endemic diseases.

Second, multiple measures have been taken simultaneously, and the quality and efficiency of disease prevention and treatment services have increased. The average reporting time of China’s infectious disease network direct reporting system has been shortened from 5 days to 4 hours. At the national level, a technical system for rapid identification of 300 pathogens within 72 hours has been established, and 100% provincial and 90% municipal CDC have the ability to detect nucleic acids and isolate viruses. The national health emergency team covers all provinces. The vaccination rate of immunization program has been maintained at over 90%, and the accessibility and convenience of vaccination services have been continuously improved through reasonable distribution, online appointment and on-site service.

The third is to make concerted efforts to lay a solid foundation for the disease control system. Party committees and governments at all levels attach great importance to the prevention and control of infectious diseases. The relevant departments have a clear division of labor, their respective responsibilities, and joint prevention and control. The people’s awareness of health and disease prevention has been greatly improved, and the concept of "everyone is the first responsible person for their own health" has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

The prevention and control of infectious diseases in China has achieved remarkable results, and the public health protection network has been further strengthened. In the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases, COVID-19 has achieved a decisive victory. Infectious diseases such as human avian influenza, plague and Middle East respiratory syndrome have been effectively dealt with, and no major epidemics have been achieved after major natural disasters. In the prevention and control of major infectious diseases, the rapid rise of AIDS epidemic in key areas has been effectively curbed and generally controlled at a low epidemic level; The incidence of tuberculosis decreased from 65/100,000 in 2015 to 52/100,000 in 2022, and the mortality rate remained at a low level; All endemic counties of schistosomiasis have reached the standard of transmission control. An environmental health monitoring system covering the whole country has been established, and the level of prevention and control of endemic diseases has been continuously consolidated and improved. Certified by the World Health Organization to eliminate malaria. Measles, Japanese encephalitis, meningitis and other vaccines can prevent the incidence of infectious diseases from falling to the lowest level in history.