Haze, a hotbed of respiratory-associated infectious diseases, and a new challenge for disease control and prevention in China

摘要

To the Editor: During 2013 an incessant dense haze shrouded nearly half of China, affecting approximately 800 million inhabitants. Previously, the southeast region, including Shanghai and the Pearl River Delta, had been enveloped in extreme haze; and before that, a similar situation occurred in northern China. Haze continues to wreak havoc throughout the country. Meanwhile, human infection with avian influenza A H7N9 virus reemerged during January 2014 and has led to 31 deaths. This number is almost as high as for all of 2013; more unfortunately, the attack rate of H7N9 infection was highly sporadic.