Risk assessment of public health emergencies concerned in the mainland of China, June 2019

ObjectiveTo assess the risks of public health emergencies, both the indigenous ones and imported ones, which might occur in the mainland of China in June 2019.

MethodsAn internet based expert counsel was conducted to analyze the surveillance data of public health emergencies and priority communicable diseases in China reported through different channels, and the experts in all the provincial centers for disease control and prevention attended this meeting through video conference.

ResultsIt is expected that the number of public health emergencies reported in June will be lower than May, but still at a relative high level, which might be mainly the outbreaks of communicable diseases in schools, such as chickenpox, hand, foot and mouth disease (HMFD), mumps and rubella. The area where Aedes mosquitoes exist will gradually enter the high-risk season of dengue fever. The number of locally transmitted cases of dengue fever will continue to rise and small-scale local outbreaks might occur. HFMD cases will continue to increase and epidemic intensity will increase in most provinces of the country. The sporadic cases of human infection with Streptococcus suis infection may continue to increase, and people who engage in pork slaughtering and processing are at high risk of infection. Bacterial food poisoning in schools, catering service units and rural wedding banquets or funeral banquets will increase. Poisoning deaths caused by poisonous animal, plants and mushrooms will become the main death causes of food poisoning. The epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will continue, but the risk of its importation into China is low.

ConclusionJune 2019, there is no special concern risk of public health emergency in the mainland China., major concern should be paid to the risk of dengue fever and HFMD epidemics, and general concern should be paid to the human infection with Streptococcus suis, food poisoning (including toxic mushroom poisoning) and EVD in the DRC.