Promoting global public health security, U.S. CDC and China CDC conduct a national assessment

“China CDC really values working with U.S. CDC on public health security. We’ve learned what we need to do to improve our emergency preparedness and response for future emergencies. Because of this partnership, China will better be able to respond to public health emergencies. This will ensure a safer China, a safer United States and a safer global community.” Dr. FENG Zijian, Director, Public Health Emergency Center, China CDC

PUBLIC HEALTH THREATS ARE ALWAYS PRESENT with their potential fiscal, political, and social implications that threaten a nation’s health security. A dynamic approach to preparedness ensures success, not just for responses to pandemics, natural disasters, and hostile acts, but also to routine public health threats such as foodborne outbreaks. In response to the dramatic evolution in preparedness and response activities in the United States and the ongoing transformation of the Chinese public health system, Minister of Health Dr. CHEN Zhu requested U.S. CDC assistance to conduct an assessment of China’s public health security system. In June 2012 the assessment was conducted in partnership with China CDC’s Public Health Emergency Center. It focused on the China CDC’s preparedness and response capabilities and national coordination with provincial and subprovincial CDCs.

CHINA’S PUBLIC HEALTH SECURITY SYSTEM HAS IMPROVED over the last decade through massive infrastructure development and experiences in planned and unplanned public health responses such as the 2010 World Expo, the 2008 Wenchuan and the 2010 Yushu earthquakes. However, China’s public health security system can be improved through strategic planning and coordination between public health agencies and hospital and laboratory systems, as well as through the adaptation of an Incident Command System for China’s emergency response system.

THE ASSESSMENT RESULTS INCLUDE STRENGTHS, GAPS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS in a bilingual report provided to the Ministry of Health and China CDC. China CDC also distributed the report to provincial and sub-provincial CDCs. The recommendations in this report promote and define an evidence-based and more timely public health response system, whose inter- and intra- connections result in a public health response systems to better protect both the Chinese population and the global community.

GLOBALIZATION AND FURTHER URBANIZATION in the world’s most populous country will continue to pose threats to the nation’s health security. There is evidence of improved resources and adoption of best practices and innovations in China’s public health system. China is poised for transformational changes in protecting the health of its people. U.S. CDC will continue to partner with China, enabling the nation to respond to the next public health emergency and thereby protect global communities from transnational threats. /p>