Risk assessment of public health emergency and concerned communicable diseases in China, August 2014

Objective To assess the risk of public health emergency and communicable diseases concerned in the mainland of China in August 2014. Methods Based on the surveillance data and information from different channels, semi-structured interviews and discussions among subject matter experts from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were adopted to assess the risk. And the experts from all the Provincial Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also attended the assessment through remote video conference. Results According to the surveillance data of infectious disease and public health emergency, the occurrence of public health emergency events in August will decrease, and the major categories would be food poisoning, heat stroke, communicable diseases (dengue, Japanese B encephalitis, cholera, bacillary dysentery). The risk of imported Ebola virus disease (EVD) might exist in China. As China has the capabilities to detect, diagnose, and control the disease, the possibility of further transmission of EVD is low. Guangdong and Yunnan have reported local outbreaks of dengue. The risk of local dengue outbreak after imported cases might be high in Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, Zhejiang and other southern provinces. Food poisoning events in August might be still at high level. After the typhoon, Hainan should concern the prevention and control of cholera, dengue, malaria, and food poisoning. After the Yunnan LuDian Earthquake, the affected areas should concern the prevention and control of hepatitis A, bacillary dysentery, typhoid, paratyphoid, other infectious diarrhea disease, acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, hand, foot and mouth disease, food poisoning. August is still a high seasonal month for heat stroke. Conclusion It is expected that the national public health emergencies and epidemic situation of communicable diseases in August will remain similar to the previous years and continue to decline. We need to strengthen surveillance and preparedness for EVD, dengue, food poisoning, and diseases prevention and control in the areas affected by natural disasters.