Risk assessment of public health emergencies concerned in the mainland of China, September 2020

ObjectiveTo assess the risk of public health emergencies, both the indigenous ones and the imported ones, which might occur in the mainland of China in September 2020.

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 provincial centers for disease control and prevention attended this conference through video terminal.

ResultsGenerally speaking, it is predicted that the incidence of public health emergencies would be slightly higher in September than in August as school reopening season. At present, the global COVID-19 pandemic is still going on, and China has returned to be at the low risk. The risk of imported cases and secondary infections of COVID-19 would continue to exist, but it would be controllable. The possibility of sporadic cases, long-distance transmissions and imported cases of plague would not be ruled out. Outbreaks of norovirus infectious diarrhea might occur in schools and child care settings. The incidence of food poisoning would continue to be high. The risk of Ebola virus disease (EVD) spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to China would be low.

ConclusionSpecial attention should be paid to COVID-19, and general attention should be paid to plague, norovirus infectious diarrhea, food poisoning, and EVD in the Democratic Republic of Congo.