China’s achievements in health and life expectancy over the past
four decades have far exceeded what could be expected for a
country at its stage of economic development, according to a
recent World Bank evaluation. Behind these dramatic gains in
public health was an extraordinary campaign for the Chinese
people carried out by the central government, which provided
family planning, childhood immunization, accessible primary
health care (particularly for mothers and children), improved
nutrition, infectious disease control, better education, and
improvements in housing and sanitation. (See Most Chinese Have
Safe Water and Sanitation.) Morbidity and mortality from
infectious diseases continue to decline on average in most areas
of China, although in remote and poor regions, the levels of
communicable disease remain much higher than the national
averages. The overall success of these programs can be
attributed to the central government’s approach of adopting the
best of traditional methods and wedding these with