Rao is a leading neurobiologist who studied and worked in the US for more than two decades. He gave up his American citizenship after returning to China in 2007 and is president of Capital Medical University in Beijing.
Response to acute infectious disease outbreaks should be at the core of epidemic prevention and the public health system, Rao said in an article in the Chinese science website Zhishi Fenzi, or The Intellectual, where he also confirmed he had been infected with the coronavirus.
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Excitement and anxiety as China starts to reopen after zero-Covid
Excitement and anxiety as China starts to reopen after zero-Covid
Over the years, the epidemic prevention framework had receded in importance as economic development brought improvements in public health, and medical science and vaccine technology advanced, Rao said.
The focus of public health had shifted from infectious diseases to new arenas, such as chronic and non-communicable diseases, he noted.
“Re-recognising the importance, permanence and difficulty of containing infectious disease outbreaks is an important task for our public health and epidemic prevention system,” Rao wrote, adding that the risk of such outbreaks could never be underestimated.
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Rao’s comments come as China grapples with its biggest wave of coronavirus infections – with an average of over 30,000 new cases every day in the past week.
There was a disconnect between China’s public health and epidemic prevention systems, Rao wrote in his article, resulting in the discovery of acute infectious diseases to not be reported to the epidemic prevention system right at the start.
He suggested that the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) be given certain administrative powers and be asked to vertically manage infectious diseases hospitals around the country.
The Chinese CDC is a research institute and does not have administrative powers.
Rao also proposed the setting up of a national health research institution, in view of the rising demand for medical care in China.
“There are population and geographical differences in public health [globally]. Some common diseases in China, such as hepatitis, are not common in the West and these have not received the attention and research they deserve,” Rao said.
He also said the domestic production of medicines and medical devices was of great significance for national security and for improving public health in China.
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Central health authorities issued new guidelines on Wednesday relaxing zero-Covid measures such as lockdowns and regular testing, with positive cases allowed to quarantine at home, in a bid to make the policy less disruptive to public life and the economy.
But Rao warned that while the variants prevalent now were causing mild symptoms, the pathogenicity of future variants was unpredictable.
“It is important to be prepared for the fact that most people are likely to be infected ... [the disease] has a certain – though not very high – mortality rate; there is a risk that the variant mutates and people get reinfected.”
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