Q: The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003 exposed deficiencies in China's public health system. What kind of early warning systems and working mechanisms has China established to prevent new outbreaks of epidemics? Are they effective in preventing epidemics from spreading and in guarding against public health emergencies?

A: The SARS epidemic, which broke out in the spring of 2003, has taught us a good lesson. To a certain extent, it showed China's deficiencies in its epidemic prevention system.

Because of SARS, governments at all levels have strengthened the prevention and control of severe contagious diseases in the years since, and set up contingency offices and unified contingency command systems that are responsible for public health emergencies. As well, information networks for monitoring severe, nationwide contagious epidemics and public health emergencies have been established. With the information networks connected with the provincial-level medical institutions in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, 80 percent of medical institutions above county level, 27 percent of township hospitals, and the disease prevention and control centers at county or district levels, China is able to make real-time reports on contagious epidemics, bringing about dynamic statistics and analysis in the surveillance of contagious diseases and public health emergencies. An information system has also been worked out to release monitoring information about nationwide contagious epidemics annually, quarterly and monthly.

Meanwhile, the government at all levels has increased financial support to the construction of infrastructure for disease prevention and control centers. In recent years, with 2.92 billion yuan (US$353.08 million) invested from the national purse and 6.4 billion yuan (US$773.88 million) from local governments, a total of 2,443 projects of disease prevention and control centers at provincial, prefecture and county levels were constructed; the disease prevention and control centers at provincial and prefecture levels in the central and western regions were equipped with lab facilities and epidemic prevention vehicles; and disease prevention and control institutions above the county level were provided with equipment for vaccine storage and transportation. These projects will greatly enhance the nation's capability in preventing and controlling diseases as well as in dealing with contingent public health incidents.

In accordance with the occurring and prevailing characteristics of all kinds of severe contagious diseases, the health departments at all levels and broad masses of the medical staff have intensified surveillance and early warnings. Especially for severe contagious diseases such as AIDS, schistosomiasis, pulmonary tuberculosis, hepatitis and SARS, the prevention and control work is carried out in a planned, step-by-step way. China has planned to spend three years establishing a well-functioning disease prevention and control system as well as a medical system, which will cover both urban and rural areas, to improve the country's capability in dealing with contingent public health incidents such as severe contagious diseases.