Epidemic diseases claimed 2,228 lives in China during the first six
months of the year, an increase of almost 10 percent compared with
the same period in 2002, a report from the Ministry of Health
revealed yesterday.
The increase was mainly attributed to the unexpected SARS virus,
which has killed 348 people since November.
As
of yesterday, there were still 14 SARS cases being handled by
Beijing's hospitals, according to the ministry.
In
the first half of 2003, just over 1 million people were infected by
the 27 different kinds of diseases that are listed on China's Law
on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases. The figure
is down about 4.3 per cent compared with the first six months last
year.
According to the number of cases over the 2003 period, the top
types of infectious diseases were viral hepatitis, tuberculosis,
amoebic and bacillary dysentery, gonorrhea, measles, syphilis,
typhoid fever, epidemic haemorrhagic fever, malaria and scarlet
fever.
The three most deadly diseases were hydrophobia, viral hepatitis
and tuberculosis, which killed 490 people, 426 people and 372
people respectively.
In
the half year, no plague or poliomyelitis cases were reported.
The latest figures show the number of measles, tuberculosis,
hydrophobia and HIV/AIDS cases have been on the rise.
But other infectious diseases including cholera and scarlet fever
have been declining.
(China Daily July 17, 2003)