China's Top Departments: Infectious Diseases at Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University

If you're facing a complex infectious disease — whether a chronic liver condition, an emerging infectious disease, or an unexplained fever — Tangdu Hospital's Department of Infectious Diseases is one of China's most distinguished centers. Established in August 1949, it is one of only 5 National Key Disciplines in infectious disease nationwide (designated 2001), and has been at the forefront of China's response to every major infectious disease crisis — from SARS to Ebola to COVID-19.

The department is the core clinical, teaching, and research unit behind the hospital's flagship strength in "diagnosis and treatment of critical infectious diseases." It includes a dedicated Infectious Diseases Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the centralized treatment of complex and critically ill patients. Its sub-specialty coverage spans viral hepatitis and chronic liver disease, HIV/AIDS and immunodeficiency-related infections, natural-focus diseases such as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, fever of unknown origin, bacterial and fungal infections, and the prevention and control of emerging infectious diseases.

The department holds a unique triple designation: National Key Discipline (2001), PLA Infectious Disease Diagnosis & Treatment Center (2000), and National "Double First-Class" Discipline (2017), and since 2019 has been a core collaborating unit of the National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases. It ranks #3 in Northwest China for infectious disease reputation.

Milestones

The department has received numerous national honors, including "Advanced Collective in Ebola Epidemic Control", "Advanced Individual in Avian Influenza Epidemic Control", the "Chinese Physician Award", and "National Advanced Individual in the Fight against COVID-19."

Core Strengths

1. Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome — Internationally Renowned

The department has achieved international recognition in the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and research of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS, formerly epidemic hemorrhagic fever), making it one of China's authoritative treatment centers for this disease.

2. Chronic Liver Diseases — Nationally Leading

The department is a national leader in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis-related cirrhosis, and liver failure (severe hepatitis), with systematic antiviral therapy and comprehensive liver disease management.

3. HIV/AIDS — Nationally Leading

Clinical diagnosis, treatment, and research of HIV/AIDS and related complications are at the national leading level, providing full-cycle patient management.

4. Emerging Infectious Disease Response

The department has played a critical role in every major public health event — SARS, human infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza, adenovirus outbreaks, the Ebola response mission in Africa, and COVID-19.

5. Fever of Unknown Origin

The team has extensive experience in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of unexplained fevers and complex infectious diseases.

6. Critical Infections and the Infectious Diseases ICU

Supported by the dedicated Infectious Diseases ICU, the department provides centralized care for complex and critical infections such as sepsis and septic shock.

Representative Conditions Treated

Viral hepatitis (types A–E), hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, HIV/AIDS, sepsis, mycoplasma infection, typhoid and Salmonella infection, brucellosis, toxoplasmosis, intestinal amebiasis, mumps, herpes simplex and adenovirus infection, candidiasis, echinococcosis (alveolar hydatid disease), pulmonary nocardiosis, and various parasitic diseases.

Expert Team

• Prof. LIAN Jianqi (连建奇) — Department Director; National Advanced Individual in the Fight against COVID-19; National Outstanding Communist Party Member
• Prof. KANG Wenzhen (康文臻) — Head of the Infectious Diseases ICU; National Advanced Individual in Anti-Epidemic Response
• Prof. BAI Xuefan (白雪帆) — Chief physician, professor, doctoral supervisor; hepatitis B/C and cirrhosis, HFRS, febrile diseases
• Prof. HUANG Changxing (黄长存) — Chief physician, MD, doctoral supervisor; viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, HFRS, fever of unknown origin
• Prof. ZHOU Yongxing (周永兴) — Chief physician, professor, doctoral supervisor; viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, critical and complex infections
• Prof. SUN Yongtao (孙永涛) — Chief physician, professor, MD, doctoral supervisor; HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, HFRS
• Prof. NIE Qinghe (聂青和) — Chief physician, professor, MD, doctoral supervisor; viral hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver failure, HFRS, febrile diseases
• Prof. JIA Zhansheng, Prof. KANG Wen, Prof. XIE Yumei, Prof. BAI Xianguang, Prof. HAO Chunqiu, Prof. WANG Linxu, Prof. LI Jinge, Prof. HE Wenge — Senior specialists

Titles and clinic schedules are subject to the hospital's current official listings.

Clinical Scale and Research

• Annual infectious disease admissions: 7,000+ patients
• Annual outpatient/emergency visits: ~90,000 patients
• Graduate students trained: 170+ (master's and doctoral)
• Research: 17 National Natural Science Foundation projects, 2 National Science & Technology Major Projects, 9 major-project subtopics, and 60+ SCI papers published

About Tangdu Hospital

Tangdu Hospital (the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Air Force Medical University) traces its origins to the Central Hospital founded in Yan'an in November 1939. Today it is a tertiary Class-A general hospital with 3,251 beds, 46 specialty departments, and more than 2 million annual outpatient and emergency visits. Its academic platforms include 4 national key disciplines and 8 PLA medical specialty centers, and its flagship fields include "diagnosis and treatment of critical infectious diseases," functional brain disease treatment, microwave ablation for bone tumors, and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

Contact and Access

• Address: No. 1 Xinsi Road, Baqiao District, Xi'an, Shaanxi (Tangdu Hospital)
• Phone: +86-29-84777777 (main line / inquiries / appointments)
• Website: https://tdwww.fmmu.edu.cn
• Getting there: Fly into Xi'an Xianyang International Airport (XIY); the hospital is about 40 minutes by car from the airport.
• International services: The hospital routinely receives international patients and can arrange medical interpreters for English-, Russian-, and Arabic-speaking patients; remote consultations can be requested, with medical records and imaging submitted before travel.

For other leading programs at the same hospital, see our guides to neurosurgery at Tangdu and thoracic surgery at Tangdu.

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This information is intended for reference by international patients from Central Asia and beyond seeking infectious disease care in China.