BEIJING, April 30 - China has formally adopted a revised Law on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, aimed at bolstering the nation's efforts to safeguard public health against future epidemics.

Enacted originally in 1989, the law has been updated to reflect lessons learned from China's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to incorporate best practices into legal standards.

The revised law will become effective on September 1, 2025.

One of the primary enhancements focuses on improving disease monitoring and early warning systems.

China has established an extensive reporting network for infectious diseases, which is regarded as the world's largest.

The updated legislation seeks to streamline this process further by rewarding individuals who swiftly detect and report new infectious disease outbreaks.

It also clears them of liability in cases of unintentional errors.

Cai Weiping, a medical expert from Guangzhou Medical University, emphasized the importance of empowering primary-level health personnel to report potential cases directly, as this change is expected to facilitate timely detection and reporting of emerging health threats.

Legal expert Zhang Yong noted that this adjustment might encourage greater public engagement in health monitoring, thus enhancing overall reporting accuracy.

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, collaborative efforts among various regional and departmental health agencies were deemed essential in controlling the virus's spread.

The updated law formalizes this model of coordination as a crucial element of the national infectious disease prevention strategy.

Further strengthening inter-regional cooperation, in September 2024, the mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao signed an agreement to improve emergency response mechanisms related to disease outbreaks.

This agreement aims to foster collaboration through information exchange, staff training, and coordinated research.

To date, 25 national emergency response teams focused on acute infectious disease control have been set up, complemented by over 3,000 grassroots emergency response teams that now cover all cities and counties in the country.

China's resilient epidemic prevention framework has led to significant strides in managing infectious diseases, such as malaria elimination and maintaining a tuberculosis mortality rate comparable to developed nations.

The revised law also emphasizes the importance of personal data protection during health surveillance.

Provisions are included to prohibit excessive data collection, with strict guidelines ensuring that personal information is only used for disease prevention and control purposes.

This aspect aims to mitigate risks associated with data breaches and privacy infringements.

Legal professional Fang Yan remarked that these new data protection stipulations reflect a commitment to upholding human rights while modernizing the governance framework for public health.