Abstract
BackgroundPublic health emergencies have challenged the public health emergency management systems (PHEMSs) of many countries critically and frequently since this century. As the world’s most populated country and the second biggest economy in the world, China used to have a fragile PHEMS; however, the government took forceful actions to build PHEMS after the 2003 SARS outbreak. After more than one decade’s efforts, we tried to assess the improvements and problems of China’s PHEMS between 2002 and 2012.MethodsWe conducted two rounds of national surveys and collected the data of the year 2002 and 2012, including all 32 provincial, 139 municipal, and 489 county CDCs. The municipal and county CDCs were selected by systematic random sampling. Twenty-one indicators of four stages (preparation, readiness, response and recovery) from the National Assessment Criteria for CDC Performance were chosen to assess the ten-year trends.ResultsAt the preparation stage, organization, mechanisms, workforce, and stockpile across all levels and regions were significantly improved after one decade’s efforts. At the readiness stage, the capability for formulating an emergency plan was also significantly improved during the same period. At the response stage, internet-based direct reporting was 98.8%, and coping scores were nearly full points of ten in 2012. At the recovery stage, the capabilities were generally lower than expected.ConclusionsDue to forceful leadership, sounder regulations, and intensive resources, China’s PHEMS has been improved at the preparation, readiness, and response stages; however, the recovery stage was still weak and could not meet the requirements of crisis management and preventive governance. In addition, CDCs in the Western region and counties lagged behind in performance on most indicators. Future priorities should include developing the recovery stage, establishing a closed feedback loop, and strengthening the capabilities of CDCs in Western region and counties.
Highlights
Public health emergencies have challenged the public health emergency management systems (PHEMSs) of many countries critically and frequently since this century
Based on two national surveys in 2006 and 2013, we previously reported that resource allocation of Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) increased and the general completeness of PHEMS improved between 2002 and 2012 [14]
Similar trends occurred across different levels and regions (Table 2)
Summary
Public health emergencies have challenged the public health emergency management systems (PHEMSs) of many countries critically and frequently since this century. Since the early twenty-first century, frequently appearing public health emergencies such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, and Ebola have threatened population health and social stability [1] This has critically challenged the public health emergency management systems (PHEMSs) of many. China used to have a fragile PHEMS; the 2003 SARS outbreak exposed many weaknesses and problems [6], such as an ineffective response system, lagging epidemiological field investigation and laboratory testing skills, and inaccurate and untimely information communication. These aroused the public’s horror and international community’s blame.
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