Laws of the People's Republic of China

TRIAL PROCEDURES FOR MONITORING INFECTIOUS
DISEASES IN BORDER PORTS

 (Issued by the Ministry of Public Health
on June 18, 1980)

 

 

 

SUBJECT: QUARANTINE

ISSUING-DEPT: MINISTRY OF HEALTH

ISSUE-DATE: 06/18/1980

IMPLEMENT-DATE: 06/18/1980

LENGTH: 2803 words

TEXT:

To prevent epidemic diseases from spreading in and out of our country, to safeguard the health of travellers and communications staff passing over the borders and the health of our people and to promote international friendly intercourse, we shall, in our health quarantine, strengthen the monitoring of diseases, pay attention to the collection and accumulation of both domestic and overseas information on epidemic situations, sum up and analyse these data conscientiously and identify the patterns of the spreading of diseases so as to put forward countermeasures to prevent them.  Hence these Procedures are formulated.

PART I GENERAL RULES

[Article 1] The infectious diseases monitored by health quarantine authorities include influenza, malaria, poliomyelitis, dengue fever, typhus and relapsing fever (hereinafter referred to as "monitored diseases") or other types of diseases designated by the Ministry of Public Health.

[Article 2] The incubation periods of the monitored diseases referred to in these Procedures are prescribed as follows:

(1) 3 days for influenza;

(2) Malaria; 12 days for malignant malaria; 14 days for intermittent or ovale malaria; 30 days for tertian malaria;

(3) 12 days for poliomyelitis;

(4) 6 days for dengue fever;

(5) 14 days for typhus;

(6) 8 days for relapsing fever.

[Article 3] The means of communications referred to in these Procedures include vessels, aircraft and vehicles; the examination ports stated include seaports, airports, stations and border crossings; the meaning of days is the same as in Article 2 of the Rules for the Implementation of the Regulations on Border Health Quarantine.

[Article 4] Health quarantine authorities implement the monitoring of infectious diseases in ports, airports, stations and crossings which are open to international navigation, traffic or air traffic and the means of transport stationed in these places.

[Article 5] The monitored subjects include personnel (including transit personnel) and means of transport entering or leaving the territory of our country, the people in ports, airports, stations and border crossings and the insect vectors, animals, food and drinking water which can spread the monitored diseases.

[Article 6] The monitoring shall cover the following:

(1) The gathering and report of epidemic situations;

(2) The individual investigation of primary cases;

(3) The epidemiological investigation of sudden spreading;

(4) The separation and identification of pathogens;

(5) The investigation of insect vectors;

(6) The observation of the use of vaccines and the evaluation of their effectiveness as well as the investigation of the levels of immunity of people;

(7) The gathering and investigation of the local incidence and mortality of each monitored disease and other information relating to epidemiology;

(8) The supervision of the patients, suspected patients and close contacts of monitored diseases;

(9) The necessary hygienic treatment of the means of communications and luggage contaminated or suspected of being contaminated and the animals and insects infected or suspected of being infected.

[Article 7] The monitoring shall be centrally coordinated and administered.  Quarantine sections shall be in charge of the monitoring of diseases; Health sections shall be in charge of the monitoring of mass communications and its hygienic treatment; examination sections (or laboratories) shall be in charge of the separation and identification of pathogens.

[Article 8] The control of the epidemic situations of the monitored diseases shall be handled by quarantine authorities in accordance with the "Regulations of the People's Republic of China for the Administration of Acute Infectious Diseases".  The quarantine authorities shall collect standard fees, which are fixed by the state, for supplying medicines for prevention and treatment or applying hygienic treatment in the monitoring of diseases.

PART II THE TRANSMISSION OF EPIDEMICS

[Article 9] In case a monitored disease or a suspected monitored disease is found on the means of transport in a port, an airport, a station or a border crossing, the person(s) in charge of the said means of transport shall make a report to the quarantine authorities.

After the above report of the epidemic situation is received, the quarantine authorities shall in turn report it to the local health epidemic prevention authorities.

[Article 10] In case a monitored disease or a suspected monitored disease is found among the crowds of people in a port, an airport, a station or a border crossing, or found in the personnel entering our country, the epidemic prevention or host or medical organization in the said place shall report the situation to the local health epidemic prevention authorities and notify the local quarantine authorities or those that provide clinic facilities cards.

[Article 11] In case the primary or incident case(s) of a monitored disease is (are) identified by the health epidemic prevention authorities in their subordinate areas, they shall promptly give a notice to local health quarantine authorities and supply the information on local epidemic situations at regular intervals.

[Article 12] The quarantine authorities shall, on their own initiative, get in touch with the epidemic prevention authorities in the districts where they are located, such as the epidemic prevention departments and other units concerned in seaports, airports, stations and border crossings in order to collect and find out the information on the epidemic situations of monitored diseases.

[Article 13] Upon the discovery of any sudden spreading of a quarantine authorities shall report it as soon as possible to the public health authorities of the province, municipality or autonomous region and also report it to the Ministry of Public Health.

[Article 14] The overseas epidemic situations of monitored diseases shall be gathered, translated, printed and distributed by the units assigned by the Ministry of Public Health; with regard to domestic epidemic situations, the Ministry of Public Health shall notify the units concerned to supply the information to the quarantine authorities.

[Article 15] All reports of monitored diseases shall be filed and submitted in Infectious Diseases Report Cards.

PART III GENERAL PROVISIONS FOR MONITORING

[Article 16] Quarantine authorities shall conduct regular search and analyse both domestic and overseas epidemic situations of monitored diseases and know the epidemic areas and trends well.

[Article 17] Quarantine authorities shall strengthen the epidemiological inquiries about monitored diseases in the examination of the means of transport and the personnel passing over the borders.

[Article 18] Quarantine authorities shall try to discover patients contracted of monitored diseases or suspected monitored diseases in their exercise of sanitary supervision and their rounds of visits.

[Article 19] Quarantine authorities shall carry out pathogenic examination and individual investigation of the patients contracted of monitored diseases or suspected monitored diseases so as to locate the infectious sources.

[Article 20] If they deem it necessary, quarantine authorities shall require incoming travellers to file health declaration cards.  The way to provide the cards is to distribute them in advance among incoming personnel on the way or before they arrive at their destination with the help of travel service agencies, airline companies or other units concerned so as to save the time of examination upon entering our country.

[Article 21] Quarantine authorities shall individually or selectively provide the one with close contacts of any monitored disease or the personnel coming from the epidemic area of any monitored disease with clinic facilities cards.

[Article 22] Quarantine authorities shall distribute the knowledge of prevention and treatment of monitored diseases among the travellers and communications staff passing over the borders and provide them with necessary medicines for prevention and treatment.

[Article 23] Quarantine authorities shall carry out investigation of insect vectors and animal hosts and that of the immunity levels of crowds at regular intervals in cooperation with epidemic prevention departments in ports, airports, stations and border crossings at any time.  When there is a tendency of the sudden spread of an epidemic disease in any of the said places, they shall report it to higher epidemic prevention departments so as to take necessary precautions.

PART IV THE ADMINISTRATION OF MONITORED DISEASES

I.  INFLUENZA

[Article 24] Quarantine authorities shall take the following measures if any patients or suspected patients of influenza are found in their sanitary supervision or rounds of examinations:

(1) Collect throat gargle or pituitary membrane imprint specimens so as to separate viruses;

(2) According to the patients' conditions, suggest to the patients that they be treated separately from other patients or provide them with medicines for prevention and treatment;

(3) Carry out necessary sterilization or ventilation of the rooms where the patients or suspected patients stay;

(4) Those with close contacts with patients should be kept under according to conditions.

[Article 25] Quarantine authorities shall, jointly with animal and plant quarantines, carry out the epidemiological investigation of the poultry, birds, livestock and monkeys, etc. on the means of transport where influenza occurs and take appropriate and preventive action.

[Article 26] During the period when the means of transport from an epidemic area of influenza or from where influenza has occurred within 3 days before its arrival stays in a port, an airport, a station or a border crossing, quarantine authorities shall keep constant sanitary supervision over said vehicle and inquire into the health condition of the personnel on it in a timely manner so as to begin their rounds of treatment.

II.  MALARIA

[Article 27] When quarantine authorities discover suspected malaria patients during their routine examination, sanitary supervision or rounds of treatment, they shall extract blood from them in good time in order to examine malaria protozoa and make enquiries into the following:

(1) The history of contact with a malaria epidemic area within one month before arrival;

(2) Whether there is any occurrence of malaria within 2 years before arrival;

(3) Whether there are such typical clinical symptoms as feeling cold and hot at the time;

(4) Whether the liver or spleen is swollen.

[Article 28] When any malaria patients are discovered aboard any means of transport or among the personnel passing over the borders, quarantine authorities shall:

(1) Make blood smears in time for the patients and separate malaria protozoa;

(2) Provide the patients with cures for malaria or send them to hospital for isolation treatment;

(3) Provide malignant malaria patients coming from a malaria affected area with cures especially for malaria caused by drugfast protozoa.

[Article 29] When any mosquitos are found aboard means of transport coming from a malaria epidemic area or carrying any malaria patient(s), quarantine authorities shall:

(1) Examine the sanitary condition of the means of transport and exterminate the mosquitos in time if they are found hiding themselves in some parts of the same;

(2) Collect specimens so as to identify the types of the mosquitos and to test their sensibility to drugs;

(3) Urge the persons in charge of the means of transport to exterminate mosquitos thoroughly and direct them technically; and after exterminating mosquitos, examine the effects carefully.

[Article 30] Quarantine authorities shall supply preventive cures for malaria to the personnel travelling from or to a serious epidemic area of malaria.

III.  POLIOMYELITIS

[Article 31] If suspected poliomyelitis patients are discovered in the course of routine examinations, sanitary supervision or rounds of treatment, quarantine authorities shall gather the specimens of excrement, urine and blood of the patients for virus separation and serologic examination.

[Article 32] When poliomyelitis patients are found in the course of routine examinations, sanitary supervision or rounds of treatment, quarantine authorities shall take the following measures:

(1) Gather the specimens of patients' excrement, urine and blood in time for virus identification and serum classification;

(2) Advise the patients to be treated separately from other patients or send them to a hospital especially equipped for infectious diseases;

(3) Sterilize the environment, articles and patients' excrement suspected of being contaminated;

(4) Provide those in close contact with the affected patients with clinic facilities cards or carry out medical observation not exceeding 14 days after leaving the affected environment.

[Article 33] Quarantine authorities shall take samples from drinking water and food from the means of transport for examination on which a poliomyelitis case or a suspected poliomyelitis case has occurred within 3 weeks before its arrival and sterilize them if necessary; samples from the drinking water and food from a means of transport coming from the epidemic area of poliomyelitis shall also be examined or sterilized if necessary.

IV.  DENGUE FEVER

[Article 34] If quarantine authorities find any dengue fever patient(s) or any patient(s) suspected of contracting dengue fever in their examination, sanitary supervision or rounds of treatments, they shall take the following measures:

(1) Send the patient(s) to hospital for isolation treatment and gather blood specimens for virus separation and serologic examination;

(2) Gather the specimens of dengue-fever mosquitos for virus separation from the places where the patient(s) has (have) stayed;

(3) Arrange the patients in a mosquito-free room to be separately treated for not less than 5 days from the date in which the disease was contracted;

(4) Provide those in close contact with the disease with clinic facilities cards or carry out 14 days' health observation;

(5) Promptly exterminate the mosquitos in ports, airports, stations or border crossings or aboard means of transport where dengue fever transport where dengue fever patient(s) is (are) found.

[Article 35] If quarantine authorities find any live mosquitos aboard means of transport from an epidemic area of dengue fever, they shall:

(1) Examine the sanitary state of the means of transport and exterminate mosquitos which are found to conceal themselves in some parts of the means of transport;

(2) Gather specimens of mosquitos for identification and separation of viruses;

(3) Urge the person(s) in charge of the means of transport to exterminate mosquitos thoroughly and direct him (them) technically, and after eliminating them, check the results carefully.

[Article 36] Quarantine authorities shall exercise proper administration of animals such as monkeys from the epidemic area of dengue fever jointly with animal and plant quarantines.

PART V TYPHUS AND RELAPSING FEVER

[Article 37] When quarantine authorities discover any patient(s) suffering from typhus or relapsing fever in their examination, sanitary supervision or rounds of treatments, they shall take the following measures:

(1) Eliminate lice from the patient(s), isolate him (them) and gather specimens for pathogenic separation;

(2) Eliminate insects from suspected patients and carry out medical observation for 14 days or 8 days;

(3) Provide those with contact of the patient with clinic facilities cards after the elimination of lice, or carry out health observation for 14 days or 8 days after the elimination of insects;

(4) Eliminate lice from patients', suspected patients' and contacted's clothes, luggage and other articles and places which are prone to concealment of lice and sterilize them if necessary;

(5) Gather blood specimens from the patient(s) or suspected patients for laboratory examination;

(6) Gather lice specimens from the bodies of the patient(s), suspected patients and contacted for pathogenic separation and drug sensibility tests.

[Article 38] When quarantine authorities find lice on the means of transport from the epidemic area of typhus or relapsing fever, they shall gather specimens for examination and eliminate the insects.

[Article 39] These Procedures shall come into force from the date of issue.