China has designated April as the Patriotic Health Month since 1989, aiming to promote awareness about public health and prevention. The theme of this year's Patriotic Health Month is "playing a part in epidemic prevention."

"When the epidemic situation becomes subdued in the country, individuals still need pay attention to good hygienic behaviors and habits," said Shi Xiaoming, head of the National Institute of Environmental Health of China CDC, in an interview with Science and Technology Daily.

The Patriotic Health Month originated from the Patriotic Health Campaign, which was initiated by Chairman Mao Zedong in the early days after the founding of the PRC when the country was plagued with epidemic diseases and shortages of medicine. The public health campaign was designed to wipe out "four pests": rats, flies, mosquitoes, and grain-eating sparrows, which carry and transmit an infectious pathogen.

"This campaign is the longest-ever public health movement and is considered an innovative move made by China in the field of healthcare," Shi said.

Liu Qiyong, an expert of China CDC, said the health campaign is meant to call for public action to prevent and control vector-borne diseases.

Liu explained, choosing April as the Patriotic Health Month is because in most part of China, vectors—such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas—are entering breeding and booming season in April, so carrying out prevention measures this month can deliver desired efficacy.

Liu said the campaign has played an active role in eradicating and preventing diseases. According to monitoring nationwide, vectors have been kept within a stable number, and vector-borne diseases have been controlled effectively.

China wiped out filariasis in 2007, contained the spread of malaria across the country in 2017, and saw progress in containing the spread of contagious diseases including plague.

The hygiene campaign has played a pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19. "During the COVID-19 outbreak, early cases and cluster cases were largely related to the hygiene of the surrounding," Shi said. "In curbing the spread of the epidemic, hygiene and disinfection is very important."

Experts suggested using disposable protective gowns that need not to consider the index of microorganism in isolated wards except for intensive care units, in order to address the shortage of protective suits. In the meantime, they suggested some disinfection products should be available on the market as quickly as possible. Those suggestions have been taken to alleviate the shortage of disposable protective suits and disinfection supplies during the outbreak.

"Despite of impressive progress made in domestic epidemic prevention and control, we are facing mounting pressure from imported cases, so we have to continue implementing prevention and control measures and carry out disinfection in a scientific way," Shi said.

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