Beware of infection! China CDC's urgent reminder

With the arrival of the May Day holiday in 2023, the movement and gathering of people, domestic travel and outbound travel will increase significantly during the holiday.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reminds that during the May Day holiday, we must continue to pay attention to the prevention of new coronavirus infection, and at the same time, we must do a good job in preventing seasonal influenza, norovirus enteritis, food poisoning, tick-borne diseases, hand, foot and mouth disease, monkeypox and animal-borne infectious diseases.

COVID-19 infection

The current global prevalence of the novel coronavirus is mainly the Omicron XBB series of variants. my country's epidemic is at a low-level transmission stage, with the main dominant strains being the evolutionary branches of BF.7 and BA.5.2 in my country's early stage. There is also local transmission caused by the importation of foreign popular variants such as XBB. Over time, the risk of repeated infection of previously infected people with XBB and other immune escape variants is gradually increasing. The public needs to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus in a timely manner according to their own conditions.

Wear masks appropriately according to the "Guidelines on the Wearing of Masks by the Public to Prevent New Coronavirus Infection (April 2023 Edition)" issued by the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council. After returning from travel, if you have respiratory symptoms such as fever and cough, you should reduce contact with others and decide whether to seek medical treatment based on the severity of the disease. It is recommended to wear an N95 mask when seeking medical treatment.

Seasonal Flu

Improve personal health literacy and strengthen personal daily protection. Wear a mask when you have symptoms such as fever, sore throat and cough, and reduce contact with others.

People at high risk of influenza virus infection (such as the elderly and children) are prone to severe influenza. Taking antiviral drugs within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms can effectively relieve disease symptoms and shorten the duration of symptoms. When traveling abroad, you can prepare appropriate neuraminidase inhibitors (such as oseltamivir phosphate, peramivir, etc.) and other drugs as a backup.

Norovirus enteritis and food poisoning

Pay attention to hand hygiene and food and water hygiene. When dining out, choose a regular restaurant with good hygiene conditions. Eat cooked food as much as possible, wash raw fruits and vegetables, and do not drink raw water. Separate raw and cooked food, and separate kitchen utensils and containers for processing food. Cook food thoroughly, and reheat leftover food and overnight food thoroughly before eating again. Maintain a good dining habit, try to use separate meals, and encourage the use of serving chopsticks and spoons. Do not collect or eat unknown wild mushrooms and wild plants.

Tick-borne diseases

Take personal protection measures when engaging in outdoor activities, tie your trouser legs tightly or tuck them into socks or shoes, wear light-colored clothes to make ticks attached to your body nowhere to hide, do not wear sandals, do not hang clothes on the grass or trees, and check carefully before entering the room to prevent ticks from being brought home on clothing and pets.

Hand, foot and mouth disease

Maintain good hand hygiene. Avoid contact with sick children to prevent cross infection. Keep the home environment clean, ventilate the room frequently, and dry clothes and quilts frequently.

Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces (counters, door handles) and children's toys. Bottles, nipples and tableware used by infants and young children should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after use; infants' diapers should be cleaned, exposed to the sun or disinfected in a timely manner.

During the epidemic of hand, foot and mouth disease, it is not advisable to take children to public places where there are crowds and poor air circulation. Vaccination with EV71 vaccine can effectively prevent hand, foot and mouth disease and other related diseases caused by EV-A71 infection, and will also significantly reduce the occurrence of severe hand, foot and mouth disease and death. Children are encouraged to complete the full vaccination before 12 months of age.

Monkeypox

Avoid close skin contact with people who have a rash. Avoid contact with items used by monkeypox patients. Wash hands frequently. If traveling to Central or West Africa, avoid contact with rodents and primates that may spread the monkeypox virus. If returning/coming to China develops symptoms such as a rash, they should seek medical attention promptly and inform the attending doctor of their overseas travel history and related suspected exposure history within 21 days before the onset of the disease.

Prevention of Animal-borne Infectious Diseases

Avoid entering the habitats of wild birds and other animals, and do not touch or eat wild animals. Try to avoid direct contact with any animals, especially animals of unknown origin; do not eat undercooked or undercooked animal products; choose fresh and safe animal food ingredients, and separate raw and cooked food during processing.