Influenza is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus. It usually exhibits seasonal transmission, but the novel influenza strain can lead to a pandemic with severe human health and socioeconomic consequences. Early warning of influenza epidemic is an important strategy and means for influenza prevention and control. On the basis of reviewing the main influenza surveillance and early warning systems, this study summarizes the principles, applications, advantages and disadvantages, and development prospects of common influenza early warning models, in order to provide reference for research and application of early warning technology for influenza and other acute respiratory infectious diseases.
Humans ; Influenza, Human/epidemiology* ; Pandemics/prevention & control*

The occurrence and persistent pandemic of 2019 coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), caused by the infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has taken a big toll on global public health. The development of virus detection techniques and its application played an important role in health management, including screening, identification and treatment of patients, and slowing down the spread of virus. This review briefly summarizes the biological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, and introduces in detail the SARS-CoV-2 detection techniques developed and used worldwide. Perspectives on the follow-up development of virus detection techniques were presented, with the aim to facilitate medical diagnosis, public health protection, disease prevention and control.
COVID-19/diagnosis* ; Humans ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; SARS-CoV-2

Curriculum ; Epidemics ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Pandemics/prevention & control*

Humans ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Pandemics ; Vaccines ; Vaccination

A crucial lesson gained through the pandemic preparedness and response to COVID-19 is that all measures for epidemic control must be law-based. The legal system is related not only to public health emergency management per se but also to all aspects of the institutional supporting system throughout the lifecycle. Based on the lifecycle emergency management model, this article analyses the problems of the current legal system and the potential solutions. It is suggested that the lifecycle emergency management model shall be followed to establish a more comprehensive public health legal system and to gather the intelligence and consensus of experts with different expertise, including epidemiologists, sociologists, economists, jurist and others, which will collaboratively promote the science-based legislation in the field of epidemic preparedness and response for the establishment of a comprehensive legal system for public health emergency management and with Chinese characteristics.
Humans ; China ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; Public Health ; Emergencies ; Disaster Planning

Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; prevention & control

The outbreak of COVID-19 has currently been under control in China, but now the disease has rapidly evolved into a global pandemic. We formulated a prevention and control plan for clinical laboratories responsible for detection of the novel coronavirus infection. We analyzed the implementation of this plan and the problems arising from its clinical practice. We found that the layout of most clinical laboratories (including gene amplification laboratories for clinical samples) was inadequate in response to a major outbreak and did not meet the requirements for biosafety protection and etiology and serology testing; and laboratory staff showed insufficiencies in their awareness regarding biosafety protection; the functions and status of the laboratory in the fever clinic need to be enhanced to increase its detection capacity; the high density of military personnel, the low level of automation of clinical laboratory equipment, and the lack of biosafety cabinets and personal protective equipment all limit the performance of diverse military operations and major overseas missions. In view of these problems, we propose the following strategies and recommendations: the clinical laboratory needs to standardize the design and staff management according to the standards of P2 laboratory; the detection capacity and staffing of fever clinic laboratory in hospitals need to be strengthened, and a separate clinical gene amplification laboratory can be optimal; for those clinical gene amplification laboratories that fail to meet these standards, reconstruction and upgrade should be made according to the requirements of biosafety protection; for the clinical laboratory in the military medical system, in addition to enforcement of biological safety protection of the staff, sufficient supply of medical materials and biological safety equipment should be ensured and biological safety cabinets should be routinely equipped if possible.
Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; prevention & control

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, the public-facility-turned temporary hospital (PFTH) has played an important role in preventing the spread of the epidemic. Wuchang PFTH is the first one to put into clinical practice and the last one suspended in Wuhan. The National Emergency Medical Rescue Team of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, together with other 13 medical teams (841 medical staff in total), have fulfilled the task for the treatment of non-severe COVID-19 patients, without any medical staff infected. The first author of the article was the only pediatrician working in the Wuchang PFTH. The author describes and summarizes the features/functions, management/operations, and advantages/challenges of the PFTH, in order to provide reference for medical institutions and relevant departments to deal with public health emergencies.
Betacoronavirus ; China ; Coronavirus Infections ; prevention & control ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; prevention & control

Tobacco intersects with the COVID-19 pandemic not only in terms of health consequences, but also environmental change and planetary health. Tobacco use exacerbates inequalities, causes catastrophic environmental degradation and climate change and adds burdens to COVID-19-related mortality, which are major challenges to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic has provided a chance to combat tobacco use and accelerate efforts to alleviate these challenges in response. The MPOWER measures introduced by the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) can play a crucial role in COVID-19 recovery to fight tobacco use and contribute to sustainable and equitable development. To accelerate recovery, it is critical to call for actions for governments and policy-makers to strengthen synergies and coordinate policy actions emphasising tobacco control and cessation across equity, public health, and climate actions as global authorities pledge to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and net zero emissions targets as part of the Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26).
COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Humans ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Products ; Tobacco Use

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic disease. SARS-CoV-2 variants have aroused great concern and are expected to continue spreading. Although many countries have promoted roll-out vaccination, the immune barrier has not yet been fully established, indicating that populations remain susceptible to infection. In this review, we summarize the literature on variants of concern and focus on the changes in their transmissibility, pathogenicity, and resistance to the immunity constructed by current vaccines. Furthermore, we analyzed relationships between variants and breakthrough infections, as well as the paradigm of new variants in countries with high vaccination rates. Terminating transmission, continuing to strengthen variant surveillance, and combining nonpharmaceutical intervention measures and vaccines are necessary to control these variants.
COVID-19/prevention & control* ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Humans ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; SARS-CoV-2