"High level symposium on environmental sanitation and hygiene after earthquake in Wenchuang" jointly sponsored by the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was held recently in Chendu. Experts provided following suggestions on issues of environmental sanitation and hygiene which deserves attention during the course of homestead rebuilding after earthquake.

1.To organize experts to conduct environmental sanitation and hygiene evaluation for the concentrated settlement zone for disaster victims as soon as possible, and in the meantime to summarize the experience and extend the application.

2.To organize experts to investigate and monitor current environmental disinfection situation in disaster area and evaluate the disinfection efficacy, hence adjust the scope, target and means of disinfection and put forward a guideline of disinfection for next phase, and based on which work out a manual on disinfection after earthquake.

3. In the course of restoration and rebuilding for disaster area, the function of agencies of disease control and prevention at all levels including laboratories, equipments, and personnel shall be recovered simultaneously in a timely manner, and capacity building for public health institutions at municipal, county, village and town levels shall be intensified. Supporting provinces shall unified the training program, focusing on improving professional level of public health and disease  prevention for village cadres and epidemic prevention personnel and knowledge of public health and disease prevention for general disaster victims, with aims to make an environmentally clean home and fulfill the task of public health and disease prevention for disaster area. 

4. Departments of public health shall participate in the planning and design of concentrated settlement zone for disaster victims as soon as possible, and provide suggestion timely for problems of public health identified.  Environmental sanitation indicators in issues of site location, layout, toilets setting, safety of drinking water, wastewater discharge during planning and design of settlement zone shall conform to related national health standards and specifications.