CHINA. Order No. 15 of 12 August 1991 of the Ministry of Health promulgating measures on the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases. (International Digest of Health Legislation, Vol. 45, No. 2, 1994, pp. 170-171.)

This Order has been made in pursuance of the Law on the prevention and treatment of communicable diseases promulgated by Presidential Decree No. 15 of 21 February 1989. The following are among the principal provisions.

Chapter I. General provisions (Secs. 1-4). Sec. 1 lays down that the measures contained in this Order are intended to prevent, contain, and eliminate the occurrence and spread of venereal diseases, with a view to safeguarding the physical health of the population. Under Sec. 2, the term "venereal diseases" is defined, for the purposes of this Order, as the following diseases: (1) AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis (communicable diseases in Class B as referred to in Sec. 3 of the above-mentioned Law); (2) soft chancre, lymphogranuloma venereum, nongonococcal urethritis, condyloma acuminatum, and genital herpes. Under Sec. 3, the State is to conduct, with respect to venereal diseases, a policy based on prevention, therapeutic measures being associated therewith. Under Sec. 4, the administrative services responsible for health at all levels are required to implement measures for the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases, under the authority of the government at the respective levels.

Chapter II. Administrative structure (Secs. 5-9). Sec. 5 empowers the administrative services responsible for health at the district or higher levels to establish, as and when necessary, agencies for the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases, and for strengthening the epidemiological information and monitoring network. For the purpose of these measures, "agencies for the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases" means dermato-venereological clinics, centres, etc., at the district or higher levels, or medical care establishments, preventive care establishments, and health care establishments approved by the administrative services responsible for health as dermato-venereological centres. Details are given in Secs. 6 and 7 of the principal tasks of these agencies, at the provincial level and at other levels respectively.

Chapter III. Prevention (Secs. 10-13). This Chapter indicates the requirements governing prevention, with particular regard to medical training, the prevention of iatrogenic contamination, and the use of disposable materials. Sec. 13 lays down that medical care, preventive care, and health care establishments at all levels are to provide treatment forthwith whenever they ascertain that a pregnant woman is affected by a venereal disease.

Chapter IV. Treatment (Secs. 14-20). Under Sec. 14, any person affected, or suspected of being affected, by a venereal disease is to be forthwith directed to an agency for the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment. Sec. 16 requires the above-mentioned agencies and physicians diagnosing and treating venereal diseases to provide standard treatment to patients affected by such a disease. Sec. 17 also requires the above-mentioned agencies and physicians to take protective measures and maintain confidentiality with regard to such patients. Sec. 18 lays down that, once diagnosis has been carried out, these patients are to give an accurate description of the context in which they contracted the disease, and are to follow the prescribed treatment. Sec. 20 prescribes that the treatment and surveillance of persons suffering from AIDS are to be governed by the provisions of the Regulations of 26 December 1987 on surveillance and control measures applicable to AIDS.

Chapter V. Notification (Secs. 21-24). Sec. 21 requires the above-mentioned agencies and physicians to notify the local public health and epidemic prevention agency of all suspected cases of AIDS, gonorrhea, or syphilis, in accordance with the established procedure. Under Sec. 22, medical care, preventive care, and health care establishments at all levels and all physicians are to notify the local agency for the prevention and treatment of communicable diseases of all suspected cases of the diseases listed in item (2) of Sec. 2 of these measures, in accordance with the established procedure. Sec. 23 prescribes that the agencies for the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases are to submit, at the appropriate time, a report on the local epidemiological situation with regard to AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis to the agency for the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases at a higher level. A report of this type is to be submitted each month in the case of the diseases referred to in item (2) of Sec. 2 of these measures. Under Sec. 24, personnel carrying out activities concerned with the prevention and treatment of venereal diseases, public health, and the prevention of epidemics or the monitoring and surveillance of communicable diseases must not conceal or falsify, or encourage other persons to conceal or falsify, epidemiological data.

Chapter VI. Additional provisions (Secs. 25-29). Sec. 26 deals with penal and administrative sanctions for the violation of these measures. Sec. 27 empowers the designated local authorities to issue regulations for the implementation of these measures.