Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Revised in 2025)
Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Revised in 2025)
Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Revised in 2025)
Order of the President of the People's Republic of China No.47
April 30, 2025
The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, which was revised and adopted at the 15th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on April 30, 2025, is hereby promulgated and shall come into force as of September 1, 2025.
Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China
Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Revised in 2025)
(Adopted at the 6th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 7th National People's Congress on February 21, 1989; revised for the first time at the 11th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress on August 28, 2004; amended according to the Decision on Amending 12 Laws including the Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People's Republic of China at the 3rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress on June 29, 2013; and revised for the second time at the 15th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress on April 30, 2025)
Contents
Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II Prevention
Chapter III Monitoring, Reporting, and Early Warning
Chapter IV Epidemic Control
Chapter V Medical Treatment
Chapter VI Safeguard Measures
Chapter VII Supervision and Management
Chapter VIII Legal Liability
Chapter IX Supplementary Provisions
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Revised in 2025) (hereinafter referred to as the "Law") is enacted in accordance with the Constitution to prevent, control, and put an end to the outbreak and epidemic of infectious diseases, safeguard public life safety and health, prevent and mitigate public health risks, and maintain national security and social stability.
Article 2 The work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, uphold the principle of putting the people and life above all else, implement the policy of prioritizing prevention and combining prevention with treatment, and follow the principles of lawful and scientific prevention and control.
Article 3 For the purposes of this Law, infectious diseases are divided into infectious diseases under Classes A, B, and C, and other infectious diseases including sudden infectious diseases of unknown cause.
Infectious diseases under Class A are those that are particularly severe in their harm to human health and life safety, are likely to cause significant economic losses and social impact, and require particularly strict management and control of the epidemic spread, including plague and cholera.
Infectious diseases under Class B are those that are severely harmful to human health and life safety, are likely to cause relatively major economic losses and social impact, and require strict management and reduction of the incidence and harm, including COVID-19, infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), AIDS, viral hepatitis, poliomyelitis, human infection with novel influenza subtypes, measles, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, rabies, epidemic encephalitis B, dengue fever, monkeypox, anthrax, bacillary and amebic dysentery, pulmonary tuberculosis, typhoid and paratyphoid, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, pertussis, diphtheria, infant tetanus, scarlet fever, brucellosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, and malaria.
Infectious diseases under Class C are those that are common and frequently occurring, cause harm to human health and life safety, are likely to cause a certain degree of economic losses and social impact, and require attention to the epidemic trend and the control of outbreaks and epidemics, including influenza, epidemic parotitis, rubella, acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, leprosy epidemic and endemic typhus, kala-azar, echinococcosis, filariasis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and infectious diarrhea other than cholera, bacillary and amebic dysentery, typhoid, and paratyphoid.
The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall, based on the outbreak, epidemic, and extent of harm of infectious diseases, promptly propose adjustments to the directories of various infectious diseases. The competent health department under the State Council shall publish any adjustment to the directory of infectious diseases under Class A after reporting it to and obtaining approval from the State Council; any adjustment to the directory of infectious diseases under Class B or C shall be approved and published by the competent health department under the State Council.
Article 4 Where a sudden infectious disease of unknown cause requires the implementation of the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A as prescribed by this Law, the disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall promptly make a recommendation. The competent health department under the State Council shall publish the recommendation after reporting it to and obtaining approval from the State Council.
For infectious SARS in infectious diseases under Class B and pulmonary anthrax in anthrax, the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A as prescribed by this Law shall be implemented. Where any other infectious disease under Class B requires the implementation of the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A as prescribed by this Law, it shall be approved and published according to the procedures specified in the preceding paragraph.
Where it is necessary to lift the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A taken in accordance with this Article, the disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall promptly make a recommendation. The competent health department under the State Council shall publish the recommendation after reporting it to and obtaining approval from the State Council.
The provisions of this Law on infectious diseases under Class A shall apply to infectious diseases for which the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A are implemented in accordance with this Law.
Article 5 With respect to other infectious diseases, which are common and multiple in their own administrative areas, the provincial people's governments may, in light of the actual situations, decide to control them in the way that they do with respect to infectious diseases under Class B or C, make announcements, and report the matter to the disease prevention and control department under the State Council for the record.
Article 6 The State shall establish and improve the systems and mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, define the responsibilities of localities, departments, entities, and individuals, and implement joint prevention and control as well as mass prevention and control.
Article 7 People's governments at all levels shall direct the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
The people's governments at the county level or above shall establish and improve the systems for disease prevention and control, medical treatment, emergency response, material support, and supervision and management for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and strengthen the capacity building for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 8 The competent health department under the State Council shall take the lead in organizing and coordinating the nationwide response to infectious disease epidemics and shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the medical treatment of infectious diseases nationwide. The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the prevention and control of infectious diseases nationwide and for the work relating to the nationwide response to infectious disease epidemics. Other relevant departments under the State Council shall be in charge of the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases within the scope of their respective duties.
The competent health departments under local people's governments at the county level or above shall take the lead in organizing and coordinating the response to infectious disease epidemics within their respective administrative areas, and shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the medical treatment of infectious diseases within their respective administrative areas. The disease prevention and control departments under local people's governments at the county level or above shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the prevention and control of infectious diseases within their respective administrative areas and for the work relating to the response to infectious disease epidemics within their respective administrative areas. Other relevant departments under local people's governments at the county level or above shall be in charge of the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases within the scope of their respective duties.
The work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force shall be governed by this Law and the relevant provisions of the Central Military Commission, and shall be subject to supervision and administration by the department in charge of health affairs under the Central Military Commission.
Article 9 The joint prevention and control mechanism for major infectious disease epidemics of the State Council and local people's governments at the county level or above shall conduct epidemic consultation and assessment, and shall organize, coordinate, supervise, and advance epidemic prevention and control efforts.
Where a major infectious disease epidemic occurs and constitutes a public health emergency, the State Council and local people's governments at the county level or above shall, in accordance with the laws and administrative regulations on the response to public health emergencies, establish emergency command institutions and initiate an emergency response.
Article 10 The State shall establish and improve the disease prevention and control network that integrates urban and rural areas, coordinates higher and lower levels, and has fully functional capabilities.
The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall guide the operational work of institutions of disease prevention and control at all levels and establish a mechanism for the division of labor and cooperation featuring coordination between higher and lower levels.
The national and provincial institutions of disease prevention and control shall establish expert committees on disease prevention and control to provide professional technical support such as consultation, evaluation, and demonstration for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 11 The State shall adhere to the principle of equal emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, strengthen their integration, and fully leverage the role of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 12 The State shall support and encourage scientific research on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, organize research on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and public health as well as multidisciplinary collaborative research, to enhance the scientific and technological level of the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 13 The State shall support and encourage the application of modern information technology to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Personal information processing activities, such as collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure, and deletion, in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall comply with the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, the Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, and other laws and administrative regulations, shall be conducted in a manner that ensures the security of personal information and protects individual privacy, and shall not involve the excessive collection of personal information; and the relevant information shall not be used for any purpose other than the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 14 All entities and individuals within the territory of the People's Republic of China shall support the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, accept and cooperate with the measures taken in accordance with the law for the prevention, control, and elimination of hazards of infectious diseases, such as investigation, sample collection, testing, treatment in isolation, and medical observation, and take necessary protective measures based on the needs of the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
The State shall support and encourage entities and individuals to participate in the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. People's governments at all levels shall improve the relevant systems and provide facilitation to guide entities and individuals to participate in activities relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, such as publicity and education, epidemic reporting, volunteer services, and donations.
Article 15 The disease prevention and control departments, sub-district offices, and township people's governments shall carry out mass prevention and control work, guiding residents' committees and villagers' committees to assist in the prevention and control of infectious diseases in urban and rural communities.
Residents' committees and villagers' committees shall assist the people's governments at the county level or above and their relevant departments, sub-district offices, and township people's governments in publicity and education and health alerts for the prevention and control of infectious diseases and in the epidemic prevention and control work in urban and rural communities, and organize urban and rural residents to participate in the infectious disease prevention and control activities in urban and rural communities.
The people's governments at the county level or above and their relevant departments, sub-district offices, and township people's governments shall provide necessary support and assurance for residents' committees and villagers' committees to carry out the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
Article 16 The State and society shall care for and assist infectious disease patients, pathogen carriers, and suspected infectious patients, so that they may receive timely treatment.
No entity or individual shall discriminate against infectious disease patients, pathogen carriers, or suspected infectious patients, nor shall they disclose their personal privacy or personal information.
Article 17 Measures for the prevention and control of infectious diseases shall be taken in accordance with statutory authority and procedures, and shall be commensurate with the outbreak, epidemic, and extent and scope of potential harm of infectious diseases; where there are multiple measures available for selection, those that best protect the legitimate rights and interests of entities and individuals and cause less harm to the rights and interests of others and less impact on production and livelihoods shall be chosen, and shall be adjusted in a timely manner according to changes in circumstances.
Where an entity or individual believes that the relevant administrative action or infectious disease prevention or control measure implemented by a local people's government, competent health department, disease prevention and control department, or any other relevant department, or by an institution of disease prevention and control, medical institution, or any other such entity, infringes upon its or his/her legitimate rights and interests, the entity or individual may, in accordance with the law, apply for administrative reconsideration or initiate legal proceedings.
Article 18 The State shall carry out health education work on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, strengthen the promotion of the rule of law concerning the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and enhance public health literacy and awareness of the rule of law in relation to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Schools and childcare institutions shall, in light of the age characteristics, provide education on health knowledge and knowledge of the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases to students and children.
News media shall conduct public welfare publicity on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and public health knowledge.
Individuals shall learn knowledge on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, develop good hygiene habits, and cultivate a healthy lifestyle.
Article 19 The State shall support and encourage international exchange and cooperation in preventing and treating infectious diseases.
Article 20 Entities and individuals who have made remarkable achievements in or contributions to the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall be commended or awarded in accordance with the relevant state regulations.
Persons who contract diseases or are disabled or die due to participation in the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall be subsidized, compensated, or given preferential treatment in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Chapter II Prevention
Article 21 People's governments at all levels shall organize patriotic health campaigns, improve public health facilities, improve living environment conditions, strengthen social health management, and enhance the health level of the entire population.
Article 22 Local people's governments at all levels shall establish or reconstruct urban and rural public sanitary facilities in a planned way, improve the sanitary condition of drinking water, and take measures for the biosafety disposal of sewage, waste, and feces. Cities shall build public health facilities such as public toilets, biosafety disposal sites for waste and feces, and drainage and sewage treatment systems in accordance with the relevant national and local standards. Rural areas shall gradually upgrade toilets and establish necessary sanitation management systems.
Local people's governments at the county level or above shall strengthen the capacity building for the collection and disposal of medical waste. People's governments of cities divided into districts shall designate collaborative emergency disposal facilities for medical waste and enhance the emergency disposal capacity for medical waste during major infectious disease epidemics.
Article 23 Departments for agriculture and rural affairs, water resources, and forestry and grassland under the people's governments at the county level or above shall, according to their duties, direct and coordinate efforts to control and eliminate the hazards of rodents and schistosomiasis from the farmlands, lake regions, rivers, livestock farms, forest regions, and grassland regions as well as the hazards of other animals and vector organisms that transmit infectious diseases.
Departments for transport, railways, and civil aviation shall, according to their duties, direct and supervise transport operators and related operational sites such as stations, ports, and airports to eliminate the hazards of rodents and vector organisms such as mosquitoes and flies.
Article 24 The State shall implement an immunization program system. The government shall provide immunization program vaccines to residents free of charge.
The national disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall formulate a national immunization program. When implementing the national immunization program, the provincial people's governments may, based on the needs for disease prevention and control within their respective administrative areas, add types of immunization program vaccines, strengthen prophylactic vaccination in key areas and among key populations, and report such actions to the disease prevention and control department under the State Council for the record and for publication.
The State shall practice a system by which certificates are issued to children who have received prophylactic vaccination. Medical institutions and institutions of disease prevention and control shall cooperate with guardians of children and their schools or childcare institutions to ensure the timely vaccination of children with immunization program vaccines.
In the event of a particularly major public health emergency or any other emergency that poses a serious threat to public health, vaccines may be used on an emergency basis within a certain scope and for a certain period in accordance with the Vaccine Administration Law of the People's Republic of China.
Article 25 Institutions of disease prevention and control at all levels shall, in the work relating to prevention and control of infectious diseases, perform the following duties:
(1) To implement the plan for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, formulate technical plans for the prevention and control of infectious diseases and organize their implementation;
(2) To organize and conduct infectious disease monitoring, to collect, analyze, and report monitored information about infectious diseases, and to forecast the outbreak and epidemic trend of infectious diseases;
(3) To conduct epidemiological investigation, risk assessments, and on-the-spot treatment for the epidemic situation of an infectious disease and public health emergencies, and to assess their effects;
(4) To conduct laboratory testing of infectious diseases and to make diagnostic and etiological appraisals;
(5) To carry out immunization programs and to be responsible for control of the use of preventive biological products;
(6) To conduct education and provide consultancy on health and to popularize knowledge about the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases;
(7) To direct and train institutions of disease prevention and control at lower levels and their staff members in respect of the prevention and control of infectious diseases;
(8) To guide medical institutions and key venues such as schools, childcare institutions, elderly care institutions, rehabilitation institutions, welfare institutions, underage rescue and protection institutions, relief management institutions, sports venues, detention facilities, stations, ports, and airports in carrying out the prevention and control of infectious diseases; and
(9) To conduct basic and applied research in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and make health assessments and to provide technical consultancy.
Institutions of disease prevention and control at the central and provincial levels shall take primary charge of monitoring the outbreak, prevalence and geographical distribution of infectious diseases, forecasting the epidemic trend of major infectious diseases, putting forth preventive and control measures, participating in and directing the investigation on and handling of the infectious disease epidemic situation that arises, making etiological appraisals of the infectious diseases, establishing an inspection and testing system for quality control, and conducting basic and applied research, making sanitation assessment, and formulating standards and specifications.
Institutions of disease prevention and control of cities divided into districts or at the county level shall take primary charge of the implementation of the programs and technical schemes for preventing and controlling infectious diseases, coordinating efforts in immunization and disinfection as well as guidance on the control of hazards of vector organisms, disseminating the knowledge about prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, monitoring and reporting infectious diseases and the outbreak of public health emergencies in their own areas, conducting epidemiological investigation and testing of common pathogenic microorganisms, and carrying out applied research and health assessments.
Article 26 Medical institutions at the secondary level or above shall have specialized departments and designate dedicated personnel to be responsible for the prevention and control of infectious diseases and the reporting of infectious disease epidemics within their institutions, as well as for the prevention of infectious diseases within their areas of responsibility.
Primary healthcare institutions shall have specialized departments or designated personnel responsible for the management of the prevention and control of infectious diseases and shall, under the guidance of institutions of disease prevention and control, undertake the prevention and control of infectious diseases within their institutions, as well as, within their areas of responsibility, health education on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, prophylactic vaccination, reporting of infectious disease epidemics, health monitoring of infectious disease patients, and guidance on the epidemic prevention and control of infectious diseases in urban and rural communities.
Article 27 The basic standards, architectural design, and service processes of medical institutions shall comply with the requirements for the prevention of nosocomial infections and reduce the risk of the transmission of infectious diseases within medical institutions.
Medical institutions shall strictly implement the management systems and operational standards prescribed by the State, and strengthen the monitoring of risk factors associated with nosocomial infections, safety protection, disinfection, isolation, and the disposal of medical waste and medical sewage, so as to prevent the spread of infectious diseases within medical institutions.
Medical institutions shall, in accordance with the relevant regulations, disinfect or sterilize the medical devices used; and for medical devices designated for single use under regulations, shall destroy them after use.
Article 28 The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall draft national emergency plans for the prevention and control of key infectious diseases and sudden infectious diseases of unknown cause, which shall be approved and published by the competent health department under the State Council.
Local people's governments at the county level or above shall formulate emergency plans for the prevention and control of key infectious diseases and sudden infectious diseases of unknown cause within their respective administrative areas, and shall submit them to the people's governments at the next higher level for the record and promulgate them.
......
Order of the President of the People's Republic of China No.47
April 30, 2025
The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, which was revised and adopted at the 15th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China on April 30, 2025, is hereby promulgated and shall come into force as of September 1, 2025.
Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China
Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Revised in 2025)
(Adopted at the 6th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 7th National People's Congress on February 21, 1989; revised for the first time at the 11th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress on August 28, 2004; amended according to the Decision on Amending 12 Laws including the Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People's Republic of China at the 3rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress on June 29, 2013; and revised for the second time at the 15th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress on April 30, 2025)
Contents
Chapter I General Provisions
Chapter II Prevention
Chapter III Monitoring, Reporting, and Early Warning
Chapter IV Epidemic Control
Chapter V Medical Treatment
Chapter VI Safeguard Measures
Chapter VII Supervision and Management
Chapter VIII Legal Liability
Chapter IX Supplementary Provisions
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1 The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases (Revised in 2025) (hereinafter referred to as the "Law") is enacted in accordance with the Constitution to prevent, control, and put an end to the outbreak and epidemic of infectious diseases, safeguard public life safety and health, prevent and mitigate public health risks, and maintain national security and social stability.
Article 2 The work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, uphold the principle of putting the people and life above all else, implement the policy of prioritizing prevention and combining prevention with treatment, and follow the principles of lawful and scientific prevention and control.
Article 3 For the purposes of this Law, infectious diseases are divided into infectious diseases under Classes A, B, and C, and other infectious diseases including sudden infectious diseases of unknown cause.
Infectious diseases under Class A are those that are particularly severe in their harm to human health and life safety, are likely to cause significant economic losses and social impact, and require particularly strict management and control of the epidemic spread, including plague and cholera.
Infectious diseases under Class B are those that are severely harmful to human health and life safety, are likely to cause relatively major economic losses and social impact, and require strict management and reduction of the incidence and harm, including COVID-19, infectious severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), AIDS, viral hepatitis, poliomyelitis, human infection with novel influenza subtypes, measles, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, rabies, epidemic encephalitis B, dengue fever, monkeypox, anthrax, bacillary and amebic dysentery, pulmonary tuberculosis, typhoid and paratyphoid, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, pertussis, diphtheria, infant tetanus, scarlet fever, brucellosis, gonorrhea, syphilis, leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, and malaria.
Infectious diseases under Class C are those that are common and frequently occurring, cause harm to human health and life safety, are likely to cause a certain degree of economic losses and social impact, and require attention to the epidemic trend and the control of outbreaks and epidemics, including influenza, epidemic parotitis, rubella, acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, leprosy epidemic and endemic typhus, kala-azar, echinococcosis, filariasis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and infectious diarrhea other than cholera, bacillary and amebic dysentery, typhoid, and paratyphoid.
The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall, based on the outbreak, epidemic, and extent of harm of infectious diseases, promptly propose adjustments to the directories of various infectious diseases. The competent health department under the State Council shall publish any adjustment to the directory of infectious diseases under Class A after reporting it to and obtaining approval from the State Council; any adjustment to the directory of infectious diseases under Class B or C shall be approved and published by the competent health department under the State Council.
Article 4 Where a sudden infectious disease of unknown cause requires the implementation of the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A as prescribed by this Law, the disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall promptly make a recommendation. The competent health department under the State Council shall publish the recommendation after reporting it to and obtaining approval from the State Council.
For infectious SARS in infectious diseases under Class B and pulmonary anthrax in anthrax, the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A as prescribed by this Law shall be implemented. Where any other infectious disease under Class B requires the implementation of the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A as prescribed by this Law, it shall be approved and published according to the procedures specified in the preceding paragraph.
Where it is necessary to lift the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A taken in accordance with this Article, the disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall promptly make a recommendation. The competent health department under the State Council shall publish the recommendation after reporting it to and obtaining approval from the State Council.
The provisions of this Law on infectious diseases under Class A shall apply to infectious diseases for which the prevention and control measures for infectious diseases under Class A are implemented in accordance with this Law.
Article 5 With respect to other infectious diseases, which are common and multiple in their own administrative areas, the provincial people's governments may, in light of the actual situations, decide to control them in the way that they do with respect to infectious diseases under Class B or C, make announcements, and report the matter to the disease prevention and control department under the State Council for the record.
Article 6 The State shall establish and improve the systems and mechanisms for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, define the responsibilities of localities, departments, entities, and individuals, and implement joint prevention and control as well as mass prevention and control.
Article 7 People's governments at all levels shall direct the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
The people's governments at the county level or above shall establish and improve the systems for disease prevention and control, medical treatment, emergency response, material support, and supervision and management for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and strengthen the capacity building for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 8 The competent health department under the State Council shall take the lead in organizing and coordinating the nationwide response to infectious disease epidemics and shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the medical treatment of infectious diseases nationwide. The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the prevention and control of infectious diseases nationwide and for the work relating to the nationwide response to infectious disease epidemics. Other relevant departments under the State Council shall be in charge of the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases within the scope of their respective duties.
The competent health departments under local people's governments at the county level or above shall take the lead in organizing and coordinating the response to infectious disease epidemics within their respective administrative areas, and shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the medical treatment of infectious diseases within their respective administrative areas. The disease prevention and control departments under local people's governments at the county level or above shall be responsible for organizing and guiding the prevention and control of infectious diseases within their respective administrative areas and for the work relating to the response to infectious disease epidemics within their respective administrative areas. Other relevant departments under local people's governments at the county level or above shall be in charge of the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases within the scope of their respective duties.
The work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese People's Armed Police Force shall be governed by this Law and the relevant provisions of the Central Military Commission, and shall be subject to supervision and administration by the department in charge of health affairs under the Central Military Commission.
Article 9 The joint prevention and control mechanism for major infectious disease epidemics of the State Council and local people's governments at the county level or above shall conduct epidemic consultation and assessment, and shall organize, coordinate, supervise, and advance epidemic prevention and control efforts.
Where a major infectious disease epidemic occurs and constitutes a public health emergency, the State Council and local people's governments at the county level or above shall, in accordance with the laws and administrative regulations on the response to public health emergencies, establish emergency command institutions and initiate an emergency response.
Article 10 The State shall establish and improve the disease prevention and control network that integrates urban and rural areas, coordinates higher and lower levels, and has fully functional capabilities.
The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall guide the operational work of institutions of disease prevention and control at all levels and establish a mechanism for the division of labor and cooperation featuring coordination between higher and lower levels.
The national and provincial institutions of disease prevention and control shall establish expert committees on disease prevention and control to provide professional technical support such as consultation, evaluation, and demonstration for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 11 The State shall adhere to the principle of equal emphasis on traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, strengthen their integration, and fully leverage the role of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 12 The State shall support and encourage scientific research on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, organize research on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and public health as well as multidisciplinary collaborative research, to enhance the scientific and technological level of the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 13 The State shall support and encourage the application of modern information technology to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Personal information processing activities, such as collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure, and deletion, in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall comply with the Civil Code of the People's Republic of China, the Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, and other laws and administrative regulations, shall be conducted in a manner that ensures the security of personal information and protects individual privacy, and shall not involve the excessive collection of personal information; and the relevant information shall not be used for any purpose other than the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Article 14 All entities and individuals within the territory of the People's Republic of China shall support the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, accept and cooperate with the measures taken in accordance with the law for the prevention, control, and elimination of hazards of infectious diseases, such as investigation, sample collection, testing, treatment in isolation, and medical observation, and take necessary protective measures based on the needs of the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
The State shall support and encourage entities and individuals to participate in the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. People's governments at all levels shall improve the relevant systems and provide facilitation to guide entities and individuals to participate in activities relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, such as publicity and education, epidemic reporting, volunteer services, and donations.
Article 15 The disease prevention and control departments, sub-district offices, and township people's governments shall carry out mass prevention and control work, guiding residents' committees and villagers' committees to assist in the prevention and control of infectious diseases in urban and rural communities.
Residents' committees and villagers' committees shall assist the people's governments at the county level or above and their relevant departments, sub-district offices, and township people's governments in publicity and education and health alerts for the prevention and control of infectious diseases and in the epidemic prevention and control work in urban and rural communities, and organize urban and rural residents to participate in the infectious disease prevention and control activities in urban and rural communities.
The people's governments at the county level or above and their relevant departments, sub-district offices, and township people's governments shall provide necessary support and assurance for residents' committees and villagers' committees to carry out the prevention and control of infectious diseases.
Article 16 The State and society shall care for and assist infectious disease patients, pathogen carriers, and suspected infectious patients, so that they may receive timely treatment.
No entity or individual shall discriminate against infectious disease patients, pathogen carriers, or suspected infectious patients, nor shall they disclose their personal privacy or personal information.
Article 17 Measures for the prevention and control of infectious diseases shall be taken in accordance with statutory authority and procedures, and shall be commensurate with the outbreak, epidemic, and extent and scope of potential harm of infectious diseases; where there are multiple measures available for selection, those that best protect the legitimate rights and interests of entities and individuals and cause less harm to the rights and interests of others and less impact on production and livelihoods shall be chosen, and shall be adjusted in a timely manner according to changes in circumstances.
Where an entity or individual believes that the relevant administrative action or infectious disease prevention or control measure implemented by a local people's government, competent health department, disease prevention and control department, or any other relevant department, or by an institution of disease prevention and control, medical institution, or any other such entity, infringes upon its or his/her legitimate rights and interests, the entity or individual may, in accordance with the law, apply for administrative reconsideration or initiate legal proceedings.
Article 18 The State shall carry out health education work on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, strengthen the promotion of the rule of law concerning the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, and enhance public health literacy and awareness of the rule of law in relation to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Schools and childcare institutions shall, in light of the age characteristics, provide education on health knowledge and knowledge of the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases to students and children.
News media shall conduct public welfare publicity on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and public health knowledge.
Individuals shall learn knowledge on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, develop good hygiene habits, and cultivate a healthy lifestyle.
Article 19 The State shall support and encourage international exchange and cooperation in preventing and treating infectious diseases.
Article 20 Entities and individuals who have made remarkable achievements in or contributions to the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall be commended or awarded in accordance with the relevant state regulations.
Persons who contract diseases or are disabled or die due to participation in the work relating to the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases shall be subsidized, compensated, or given preferential treatment in accordance with the relevant regulations.
Chapter II Prevention
Article 21 People's governments at all levels shall organize patriotic health campaigns, improve public health facilities, improve living environment conditions, strengthen social health management, and enhance the health level of the entire population.
Article 22 Local people's governments at all levels shall establish or reconstruct urban and rural public sanitary facilities in a planned way, improve the sanitary condition of drinking water, and take measures for the biosafety disposal of sewage, waste, and feces. Cities shall build public health facilities such as public toilets, biosafety disposal sites for waste and feces, and drainage and sewage treatment systems in accordance with the relevant national and local standards. Rural areas shall gradually upgrade toilets and establish necessary sanitation management systems.
Local people's governments at the county level or above shall strengthen the capacity building for the collection and disposal of medical waste. People's governments of cities divided into districts shall designate collaborative emergency disposal facilities for medical waste and enhance the emergency disposal capacity for medical waste during major infectious disease epidemics.
Article 23 Departments for agriculture and rural affairs, water resources, and forestry and grassland under the people's governments at the county level or above shall, according to their duties, direct and coordinate efforts to control and eliminate the hazards of rodents and schistosomiasis from the farmlands, lake regions, rivers, livestock farms, forest regions, and grassland regions as well as the hazards of other animals and vector organisms that transmit infectious diseases.
Departments for transport, railways, and civil aviation shall, according to their duties, direct and supervise transport operators and related operational sites such as stations, ports, and airports to eliminate the hazards of rodents and vector organisms such as mosquitoes and flies.
Article 24 The State shall implement an immunization program system. The government shall provide immunization program vaccines to residents free of charge.
The national disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall formulate a national immunization program. When implementing the national immunization program, the provincial people's governments may, based on the needs for disease prevention and control within their respective administrative areas, add types of immunization program vaccines, strengthen prophylactic vaccination in key areas and among key populations, and report such actions to the disease prevention and control department under the State Council for the record and for publication.
The State shall practice a system by which certificates are issued to children who have received prophylactic vaccination. Medical institutions and institutions of disease prevention and control shall cooperate with guardians of children and their schools or childcare institutions to ensure the timely vaccination of children with immunization program vaccines.
In the event of a particularly major public health emergency or any other emergency that poses a serious threat to public health, vaccines may be used on an emergency basis within a certain scope and for a certain period in accordance with the Vaccine Administration Law of the People's Republic of China.
Article 25 Institutions of disease prevention and control at all levels shall, in the work relating to prevention and control of infectious diseases, perform the following duties:
(1) To implement the plan for the prevention and control of infectious diseases, formulate technical plans for the prevention and control of infectious diseases and organize their implementation;
(2) To organize and conduct infectious disease monitoring, to collect, analyze, and report monitored information about infectious diseases, and to forecast the outbreak and epidemic trend of infectious diseases;
(3) To conduct epidemiological investigation, risk assessments, and on-the-spot treatment for the epidemic situation of an infectious disease and public health emergencies, and to assess their effects;
(4) To conduct laboratory testing of infectious diseases and to make diagnostic and etiological appraisals;
(5) To carry out immunization programs and to be responsible for control of the use of preventive biological products;
(6) To conduct education and provide consultancy on health and to popularize knowledge about the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases;
(7) To direct and train institutions of disease prevention and control at lower levels and their staff members in respect of the prevention and control of infectious diseases;
(8) To guide medical institutions and key venues such as schools, childcare institutions, elderly care institutions, rehabilitation institutions, welfare institutions, underage rescue and protection institutions, relief management institutions, sports venues, detention facilities, stations, ports, and airports in carrying out the prevention and control of infectious diseases; and
(9) To conduct basic and applied research in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and make health assessments and to provide technical consultancy.
Institutions of disease prevention and control at the central and provincial levels shall take primary charge of monitoring the outbreak, prevalence and geographical distribution of infectious diseases, forecasting the epidemic trend of major infectious diseases, putting forth preventive and control measures, participating in and directing the investigation on and handling of the infectious disease epidemic situation that arises, making etiological appraisals of the infectious diseases, establishing an inspection and testing system for quality control, and conducting basic and applied research, making sanitation assessment, and formulating standards and specifications.
Institutions of disease prevention and control of cities divided into districts or at the county level shall take primary charge of the implementation of the programs and technical schemes for preventing and controlling infectious diseases, coordinating efforts in immunization and disinfection as well as guidance on the control of hazards of vector organisms, disseminating the knowledge about prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, monitoring and reporting infectious diseases and the outbreak of public health emergencies in their own areas, conducting epidemiological investigation and testing of common pathogenic microorganisms, and carrying out applied research and health assessments.
Article 26 Medical institutions at the secondary level or above shall have specialized departments and designate dedicated personnel to be responsible for the prevention and control of infectious diseases and the reporting of infectious disease epidemics within their institutions, as well as for the prevention of infectious diseases within their areas of responsibility.
Primary healthcare institutions shall have specialized departments or designated personnel responsible for the management of the prevention and control of infectious diseases and shall, under the guidance of institutions of disease prevention and control, undertake the prevention and control of infectious diseases within their institutions, as well as, within their areas of responsibility, health education on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, prophylactic vaccination, reporting of infectious disease epidemics, health monitoring of infectious disease patients, and guidance on the epidemic prevention and control of infectious diseases in urban and rural communities.
Article 27 The basic standards, architectural design, and service processes of medical institutions shall comply with the requirements for the prevention of nosocomial infections and reduce the risk of the transmission of infectious diseases within medical institutions.
Medical institutions shall strictly implement the management systems and operational standards prescribed by the State, and strengthen the monitoring of risk factors associated with nosocomial infections, safety protection, disinfection, isolation, and the disposal of medical waste and medical sewage, so as to prevent the spread of infectious diseases within medical institutions.
Medical institutions shall, in accordance with the relevant regulations, disinfect or sterilize the medical devices used; and for medical devices designated for single use under regulations, shall destroy them after use.
Article 28 The disease prevention and control department under the State Council shall draft national emergency plans for the prevention and control of key infectious diseases and sudden infectious diseases of unknown cause, which shall be approved and published by the competent health department under the State Council.
Local people's governments at the county level or above shall formulate emergency plans for the prevention and control of key infectious diseases and sudden infectious diseases of unknown cause within their respective administrative areas, and shall submit them to the people's governments at the next higher level for the record and promulgate them.
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