Regulations on Preparedness for and Response to Emergent Public Health Hazards

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Updated: 2014-06-18

Article 34 To meet the needs for response to the emergent hazard, the headquarters for response to the emergent hazard may take control measures over food and water sources. Competent health administrative departments of the local people’s governments at or above the county level shall take control measures over the site of the emergent hazard, popularize the knowledge on the prevention and control of the emergent hazard, and take immediate measures, such as emergency vaccination, offering of medicines for preventive purposes, or community-based protection, for the population who are vulnerable to infections or harms.

Article 35 The personnel who participate in response to the emergent hazard shall, in accordance with the requirements in the preparedness plans, take health protection measures and work under the guidance of technical personnel.

Article 36 The professional technical institution designated by the competent health administrative department or other relevant departments of the State Council shall have the power to enter the site of the emergent hazard to conduct investigations, take samples, carry out technical analysis or inspections, provide technical guidance for making response to the emergent hazard in locality, and the relevant units and individuals shall offer cooperation and may not refuse to do so under any pretext.

Article 37 With regard to any newly identified acute infectious diseases, large amount of aggregated cases from any disease with unknown reasons, severe food poisonings or occupational poisonings, the competent health administrative department of the State Council shall, in a prompt way, organize strength to work out relevant technical standards, norms and control measures.

Article 38 Where a patient or suspected patient of an infectious disease is identified on any means of transportation to whom emergency control measures need to be taken as required by the competent health administrative department of the State Council, the responsible person of such means of transportation shall notify the next stop in the most immediate way and make a report to the operating unit of the means of transportation. The next stop and the operating unit of the means of transportation shall make a prompt report to the competent administrative department of the operating unit of the means of transportation and the competent health administrative department of the local people’s government at or above the county level. Upon receipt of the report, the competent health administrative department shall immediately organize the personnel concerned to take appropriate measures for sanitary treatment. For persons on the means of transportation who are in close contact with patients of an infectious disease, control measures shall be taken over them according to the laws and administrative regulations on the prevention and control of infectious diseases by the competent health administrative departments of the people’s governments at or above the county level in places where the means of transportation stops or the competent administrative departments of railways, communications or civil aviation in accordance with their respective functions and duties. Where emergency control measures against infectious diseases need to be taken over frontier ports or over persons, means of transportation, goods, containers, baggage, or postal bags, etc. on entry or exit, the matter shall be governed by the laws and administrative regulations on frontier health quarantine.