The 15th Five-Year Plan for Disease Control and Prevention - A Crucial Five-Year Progression Toward a Modernized...

On July 21, 2026, China released the 15th Five-Year Plan for Disease Control and Prevention (15th FYPDCP), the country's first national-level five-year special plan for disease prevention and control, aiming to establish a Chinese-style modernized disease control and prevention system by 2030 and accelerate progress toward the goal of "Building a Healthy China by 2035." This article provides a systematic interpretation of the Plan's core content and innovations. The 15th FYPDCP designates 2026-2030 as a critical window for transitioning from "system restructuring" to "substantive development" and from "passive response" to "active prevention." With capacity enhancement as the foundation, system strengthening as the safeguard, and risk prevention as the primary goal, the 15th FYPDCP focuses on key areas as follows: reshaping disease control concepts and strategies through multi-disease prevention and control; breaking institutional barriers through medical-prevention coordination and integration; promoting social co-governance through joint prevention and control mechanisms; injecting core momentum through scientific research and innovation; and driving digital and intelligent empowerment to shift disease prevention and control from experience-driven to data-driven approaches and from post-event handling to pre-event early warning. The implementation of the 15th FYPDCP will provide an action framework for building a Chinese-style modernized disease control and prevention system and contribute China's wisdom and solutions to global public health governance.