Poison control services in China.
The following aspects are discussed: the public health problems of acute poisoning in China in recent years; the characteristics of acute poisoning; the negative effects of poison cases on the society and economy. The four stages of development of a poison control system in China are: (1) clinical hospital as the only facility used for detoxification; (2) institutes and hospitals of occupational medicine got involved in the program; (3) the traditional model of poison control changed to the modern National Poison Control Center (NPCC), and its network got established and it began to play a key role; (4) establishment of a multi-disciplinary network for dealing with emergencies in which chemical poison control is an important component. Introduction of the operations of the NPCC: the functions of the center are a 24h hotline service, clinical consultants service, poison identification and diagnosis, laboratory analysis, education for public, training for physicians, coordination of antidotes, and the development of a network of poison control centers for dealing with chemical emergencies. The work practice and achievement of NPCC and its network in the field of poison control during the last 3 years is discussed. Lessons from SARS infection: to extend the network, to strengthen multi-disciplinary cooperation, enhance communication between centers, to pay attention to capacity building, to improve reporting systems, and to share resources.
Wu
Yi-Qun
YQ
Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Nanwei Road, Beijing 100050, PR China. wuyq@public3.btu.net.cn
Sun
Cheng-Ye
CY
D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D011039:Poison Control Centers / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D011041:Poisoning / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D011634:Public Health