Have you made travel plans for the upcoming Spring Festival holiday? Health issues should not be underestimated if you have. Here are some tips for a healthy trip during the traditional Chinese festival from experts at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Priority risk alerts
I. The relatively high-risk infectious diseases in the Chinese mainland during the 2020 Spring Festival include seasonal influenza, human-infected avian influenza and norovirus-infected diarrhea. The risks of food poisoning and carbon monoxide poisoning should also be noted.
II. The risks ofrespiratory infectious diseases and contagious diseases, such as seasonal influenza, will be increased by means of closed transportation, rapid increase in crowd sizes and frequent exposures. China's seasonal influenza activity is strong this year and is still at its peak.
III. There are increased risks offood-borne diseases and food poisoningdue to more opportunities for dining together or eating out during festivals. Pay attention to food safety and prevent food poisoning and infectious diarrhea.
IV. If you aretravelling abroad, pay special attention to risks of Ebola virus, respiratory infectious diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, cholera, norovirus-infected diarrhea, and mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as dengue, Zika virus and yellow fever.
How to identify and prevent the risks?
1. Seasonal influenza
Facts:Seasonal influenza activities usually remain at a high level during the Spring Festival and flows of population and intimate contacts will increase the risks of respiratory infections.
Seasonal influenza is transmitted through foam, such as close coughs, sneezes, close conversations, and exposure to items contaminated by patients.
In addition to fever, cough, sore throat, fear of cold, it may also lead to headaches, generalized muscle and joint pains and extreme fatigue. In most cases, it is self-healing and not serious, but in a small number of severe cases patients can die of respiratory failure or multiple organ failure.
Main high-risk groups are theelderly, young children, pregnant women and those with chronic underlying diseases.
How to prevent seasonal influenza:I. Keep indoor air fresh.II. Try to avoid crowded places.III. When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with paper towels to avoid droplet transmission.IV. Frequent wash your hands and prevent dirty hands from touching your mouth, eyes, and nose.V. If have fever, cough, and pain in pharynx, wear a mask and see a doctor immediately. Reduce contact with others and try to stay at home.
Please also remember:Vaccinationis one of the most important preventive measures. It is recommended that children aged 6 months to 5 years, adults aged 60 or above, patients with chronic diseases, medical staff, family members and caregivers of infants under 6 months, pregnant women or women anticipating pregnancy during the influenza season should be given priority immunization.
2. Human-infected avian influenza
Facts:
Since the winter of 2019, the epidemic situation of avian influenza in China has been relatively stable, and although the number of reported cases is lower than that of the same period in the previous year
The main source of human avian influenza infection is exposure to infected live poultry or to contaminated live poultry markets. Patients usually show influenza-like symptoms such as fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, and general discomforts. In serious cases, it progresses rapidly and usually causes severe pneumonia, hyperthermia and dyspnea.
H7N9 cases, a new type of human-infected avian influenza, have been reported in China. The overall mortality rate isnearly 40 percent.
How to prevent avian influenza:I. Try to avoid exposure to live poultry and their faeces and, if necessary, strengthen personal protection by wearing masks and gloves, and wash hands with soap and running water as soon as possible.II. Don't buy live poultry. Try to buy cold or frozen poultry that has been slaughtered.III. Don't buy live poultry for raising from live poultry markets or mobile stalls, and don’t mix them with original homebred poultry.IV. If you have fever and respiratory symptoms, wear a mask and see a doctor as soon as possible. Tell your doctor whether you have been exposed to poultry or been to live poultry markets before the disease outbreak.
3. Norovirus-infected diarrhea
Facts:
Norovirus-infected diarrhea has a high incidence rate in winter in China. It usually occurs in childcare institutions or schools.During holidays, tourist groups, cruise ships and holiday centers often see norovirus-infected diarrhea as well.The most common symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea, followed by nausea, abdominal pain, headache, fever, chills and muscle aches.In most cases, the patient will recover in 2-3 days. A small number of cases can occur with severe symptoms or even death.The high-risk groups of severe cases are theelderly and young children.
People are usually infected by:I. Eating food or drinking water contaminated with norovirusII. Putting a finger into their mouths after touching a virus-contaminated object or surfaceIII. Being exposed to patients infected by norovirus (often by taking care of the patients, or sharing food or utensils with them).
How to prevent norovirus infection:I. Wash your hands, especially after using the toilet and changing diapers, and before each consumption, preparation and processing of food.II. Fruits and vegetables should be carefully washed before eating; oysters and other shellfish should be deeply processed before eating.III. Norovirus-infected patients cannot prepare and process food or accompany other patients within 3 days of recovery.IV. The surface contaminated by vomit or faeces of the infected patients should be cleaned and disinfected with chlorine-containing bleach or another effective disinfectant; Immediately remove and clean contaminated clothing or sheets. Wear rubber or disposable gloves during cleaning, and wash hands carefully afterwards.
4. Food poisoning
Facts:In China, microbiological food poisoning incidents top the number of poisoning cases and the the number of poisonings.
Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea often occur within 24 hours after eating. Common symptoms include persistent or paroxysmal colic in the the upper and middle abdomen, and the vomit is mostly food recently eaten.
Patients often vomit first and then purge, have diarrhea several to dozens of times a day, mostly as yellow loose stool or water or mucus stool.
How to prevent food poisoning:I. Pay attention to dietetic hygiene. Do not eat uncooked food, disinfected milk, unpeeled fruits or raw vegetables. Do not drink unboiled water.II. Do not pick and eat wild mushrooms and wild plants.III. Choose fresh and safe food raw materials. Separate raw and cooked materials.IV. When go out for dinner, choose a qualified and hygienic restaurant.
5. Nonoccupational carbon monoxide poisoning
Facts:
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and nonirritating asphyxiating gas.Non-occupational carbon monoxide poisoning has a high rate of incidence during the coal heating season in northern China.
High-incidence provinces are mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China as well as Middle and East China.
It usually occurs in families, including living rooms with heating equipment such as coal stoves and carbon fires, bathrooms or shower rooms with gas and gas water heaters, and kitchens with fuel gas and coal gas stoves. Other high-risk places include garages and basements with small-scaled oil and gas electric generators and closed air-conditioned cars.
For mild and moderate poisoning cases, the patients generally have no sequela if they are quickly removed from the poisoning environment and receive medical rescue in time.
The death rate of severe poisoning is high and the survivors may have severe sequelae.
How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:I. In cold seasons, choose a central heating system, if necessary.II. When using gas, a gas cooker or a small-scaled oil and gas generator at home, keep good ventilated conditions. Preferably install a carbon monoxide detector, and check and maintain it regularly.III. If non-occupational carbon monoxide poisoning occurs, open the windows immediately and remove the poisoned person to a fresh and well-ventilated place as soon as possible.IV. Dial theemergency number (120)as quickly as you can and the patient should receive treatment at once in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. For severe patients with respiratory and cardiac arrest, artificial respiration and cardiac compression should be given immediately.