The National Health and Family Planning Commission recently released a document urging medical institutions at all levels to improve their diagnostic skills for contagious diseases, especially AIDS and tuberculosis.

According to the document, the institutions should formulate and carry out regulations about contagious disease pre-examination and triage, isolation treatment, hospital infection management and referrals. 

Hospitals should strengthen testing on AIDS and tuberculosis, taking timely protective measures if patients are detected with contagious diseases or carry pathogens. Medical institutions designated for non-infectious diseases should transfer patients to those designated for infectious diseases for treatment.

All medical institutions should enhance hospital infection management to stop iatrogenic transmissions. Outpatient departments with high risk of infectious disease transmission such as fever or diarrhea clinics or emergency and blood transfusion departments should take strict protective measures.

The document stresses that medical institutions should set up an infectious disease reporting system and raise awareness of infectious diseases in the general public and especially among vulnerable people.