The priority for prevention and control of infectious diseases: Reform of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control - Occasioned by "the WHO chief declares end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency".

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed that infectious diseases will present a significant worldwide threat for a long time in the future. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDCs) worldwide have developed for nearly 80 years to fight against infectious disease and protect public health. However, at the advent of the 21th century, the responsibility for prevention and control of infectious diseases has gradually been marginalized in the CDC system. The COVID-19 pandemic has also provided a glimpse into the overburdened operational process and inadequate personnel reserve of the current system of CDCs. In addition, a long-term multisectoral joint mechanism has not been created for sharing information and cooperation to facilitate public health. Reform of the system of CDCs or public health is very necessary. A global prevention and control system should be envisioned and implemented worldwide, and vertical management should be implemented throughout all levels of CDCs to improve their structure and administrative status. The WHO should expand its scope of responsibilities, especially with regard to mechanisms for joint prevention and control of infectious diseases, to substantially implement the "One Health" concept. The International Health Regulations (IHR) and relevant laws and regulations should enshrine the CDC's authority in administration and policy-making to deal with outbreaks or pandemics of infectious diseases.

For COVID-19, what are the priorities of normalized prevention and control strategies?

The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the world for three years. Most countries have adjusted policies and strategies in response to the burden of COVID-19. The severity of COVID-19 seems to be diminishing as the case fatality rate has declined and the number of vaccinated people has increased markedly. Given the large population worldwide, we need to pay attention to the continuing COVID-19 burden. Globally, the number of cases remains at a certain level, and the number of cases is still increasing in China. We also need to deal with shortages of medical resources, antipyretics, and home nursing facilities. SARS-CoV-2 will coexist with humans for a long time, and predicting viral mutations and pandemic trends will be difficult. The reform of the whole public health system is imperative. A comprehensive surveillance system should be created to determine the proportion of various pathogens and to guard against mixed infections of respiratory infectious diseases. A comprehensive response mechanism, including preventive measures and medical treatments, should be created as soon as possible to monitor the status of the epidemic and to deal with the long-term health burden of SARS-CoV-2.