"Over the past decade, the Chinese government has formulated a series of plans for handling infectious diseases and food safety incidents," according to Wang.
A regulation for dealing with public health emergencies came out in May 2003, when the country was at a critical stage in combating SARS.
It led to the promulgation of China's Emergency Handling Law in August 2007.
Moreover, a regulation concerning government information disclosure took effect in 2008, requiring the government to be more transparent in releasing information, Wang noted.
"The government drew lessons from the handling of SARS," said Ma Huaide, vice president of the China University of Political Science and Law.
If the government covers up epidemic information, rumors will spread quickly, which is not conducive to social stability and epidemic control, Ma said.
The government's increased urgency in making timely releases of information following public health incidents has also been attributed by experts to the increasing awareness of the public and their demand for the rights of knowledge, expression and supervision. The Internet has also sped up the spread of information.
Snails that are as fat as geese
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